Different Dimension Rebirth
by DarkflareDrakon
Summary: Re:Monster AU. One day after work, Hiccup and a coworker decide to go drinking together. Only to have his "sister/stalker" follow him. Hiccup's life will change forever as she went up and murdered him. However, Hiccup was reborn into another world. What happens next? 1st FF. Enjoy! :) (please check out Different Dimension Rebirth Re-write, my re-write of this, I'll be on there now)
1. Different Dimension Rebirth

Different Dimension Rebirth

Hi guys, this is my first ever fanfic. That means I'm new at writing this fanfic stuff. So I will need some help with reviews on my fanfics. All help is appreciated. I'm not sure how often I can update, but I hope I can do it often. Well, you know with school and stuff. Well anyways, if you guys want to find out more about me, you can check out my bio on my profile page. Lol, sorry I don't know how to write messages.

TLDR: I'm new and need help with reviews. You can find out about me on my profile page.

Re: Monster does not belong to me, but to its respective owners Kanekiru Kogitsune and Kanekiru Kogitsune. For the storyline of this fanfic, I plan on having it somewhat similar to Re: Monster's. But I will deviate from it from some to half of the plot. Please keep in mind that I have almost no complete idea on starting intros, so I used Re: Monster's intro with some alterations.

TLDR: My fanfic will be based off the actual Re: Monster, but I will incorporate my own parts into it.

Prologue

There is a saying, "Truth is stranger than fiction."

I have truly understood the meaning of those words now. "Real events can be far more ridiculous than a fictional story." I've experienced it myself.

I seem to have been killed by someone that I regarded as my younger sister and been reborn. I not kidding.

Let's start from the beginning. I (my name used to be Harold Haddock) got invited by my coworker, Caitlyn Williams, to go drinking. After a while, Caitlyn was too drunk to go home, so I took her to my house to rest (and not for any naughty reasons mind you). As I still hadn't had enough to drink, I decided to buy some alcohol from a convenience store nearby.

On my way back, I noticed a girl that I knew, standing next to a lamppost. She, Barbara Maxwell, is what you would call a stalker. But to me, she was like a little sister. So I called out to her. But she didn't respond. Noticing her usually energetic girl emitting a surprisingly dark aura, I got worried and approached her. Only to get suddenly stabbed by her in the stomach.

While that one stab wouldn't kill me, it still hurt a lot. But Barbara was using an electric knife. My body then went numb as she activated the knife, sending jolts of electricity into my body. I was then knocked down, unable to do anything or call for help. My psychic abilities were completely useless. She then stabbed me repeatedly, with each stab shocking me more than the last. I soon fell onto the brink of death. With one final stab to my heart, I died.

But the story doesn't end there. I did say that I was reborn. I can still remember the moment I died. I thought it at first that it was a horrible nightmare due to the alcohol…but it wasn't. I was definitely killed. That pain was certainly real. But I'm still alive. I'm still thinking even now.

How? What's going on? I wanted to know. So I opened my surprisingly heavy eyelids…and I saw…

Looking at me, was a green skinned man with an ugly face.

-  
DAY 1

That's what told me I had been reborn…I then heard the old man speak.

"Hmm…Let's see. This one...will be called Goblin Hiccup," the old man started.

Well, at least I can keep my old name.

So much has happened. Let's leave this for tomorrow…

-DAY 2

While my body won't move for some reason, I want information. I somehow managed to at least look around. I seemed to be in a cave. So it wasn't just a dream…unfortunately…

And this is important. I'm surrounded by ugly green children, about 30 of them. I believe these are called goblins. And my own hand, looked just like theirs. It seems that I, a strengthened man with special powers, have been nerfed and reborn as a lowly goblin. I seriously thought about crying my eyes out.

I was probably just born, explaining why I can't move. So I'm a lowly goblin apparently.

I spent my day like a baby would, sleeping. I'm certainly not making excuses.

-DAY 3

It seems goblins grow up really fast…When I woke up, I had grown to size of an elementary school kid. This body is way weaker than my previous one. Still, compared to yesterday, my power has skyrocketed. As short as it was, the time I spent not moving was scary. I then went to find something that I could see my reflection in. I found a big puddle of water near where I was. I noticed I still had my greens eyes and my slender build.

Afterwards, I decided to test out my new body. During my testing, I accidentally went wild.

This rate of growth might not be strange in this world. Humans don't have many natural enemies, so they can afford to take it easy growing up. But to survive in the wild, you'll need to mature fast enough to leave behind offspring.

That matter is simply beyond my power…In that case, I should make the most of this second chance. I then suddenly jumped in the air with my arms behind my back, mentally shouting "This time I'll live life to its fullest!" The older goblins turned around, looking at me weirdly.

Switching gear, due to how fast I'm growing, and the conditions of this world, I spent the day learning my new body's limits. I got used to moving around, only to collapse from exhaustion.

I then moved to where I was laid down by the old goblin man. Still, this "bed"…Isn't there something better?

\- DAY 4

I woke up, only to hear an older looking goblin telling me "go out and get your own food". Saying "he who doesn't work, doesn't eat", or something like that. Just four days after being born, I was forced to go hunting. I was disheartened. Spouting off something about the world being cruel, and it being difficult all on your own, I went searching for a friend to work with.

After a few minutes, I found a goblin my age that eerily looked like my best friend from the old world, Spyte Seeley. He had the same blue eyes Spyte had. He had the same slightly muscular build he had. But he still had the green goblin skin.

I went up to him and said "Hi, I am Goblin Hiccup. I want to be your new friend. Let's go hunting." To which he replied, "Hi, my name Goblin Spyte. I gladly be friend. Alright, let's go!" I was shocked he had the same name as Spyte too. This makes matters easier. However, him not being able to form complete sentences will be a little bother. But nothing but some good ol' speech lessons will help. Seems goblins are fundamentally easy going and kind of stupid. Having formed a party, the two of us headed outside, to the forest.

Oh right, it seems goblins have a low conception rate. So they kidnap and impregnate human women. Yesterday, I was exploring my new "home" and deeper in the cave, in the treasure storeroom, I found women with dead eyes, learning about the goblin conception rate. They seemed to have some desire to live, but everything about this room was too much for me to handle, so I merely offered a prayer.

I thought "One of them is probably my mother…Just thinking about it is depressing."

Back in the forest today, GobuSpyte (Keep in mind that in the manga and maybe in the light now, goblins are usually called Gobu-name or have another prefix identifying their current species. More can be found out on the Re: Monster Wiki) and I found a brown rabbit, with a horn on its head. Thus, I called it a "Horned Rabbit".

I gestured signals to GobuSpyte, telling him about my plan of attack ti kill this creature. I noticed he was confused about what to do. I told him "You make loud noises to distract the rabbit and chase it around for a little bit. When I think it's time, I'll smack it on its head with my branch to kill it." He understood immediately.

GobuSpyte, then started making loud noises, instantly spooking the rabbit. The chase went on for about half a minute. During that chase, I positioned myself for the kill. After the 30 seconds, I jumped and with all my might, I smashed my branch into the rabbit's head, killing it. The smack made a loud sound the startled the nearby birds.

After the kill, I started thinking to myself. "Mhmm. Hunting is certainly better done with others. It's far easier this way." Meanwhile I noticed, GobuSpyte trying to eat all of the Horned Rabbit. Therefore, I reprimanded him. I yelled "DAMN IT! WHAT THE HELL?! WE WORKED TOGETHER TO CATCH IT DIDN'T WE? WE SHOULD BE SPLITTING IT THEN!" Sorry you gad to experience that. Laying on the ground unconscious with stars floating around his head, GobuSpyte was taught about hierarchies.

My first hunt after reincarnation was successful. And to show for it…  
*GobuHiccup has obtained "Small Animal Horn"!  
Leaving aside that strange voice in my head…This horn is the perfect size for me to use as a weapon.

Thinking to myself "I'd also like to keep the pelt intact…hmm…Do I really need a blade…hmm. You know…Even I'm starting to feel bad", whilst GobuSpyte kept looking at me and the rabbit with his mouthwatering at the sight of freshly killed meat. To make GobuSpyte happy and stop mouthwatering, I said "Alright, I'm sorry. Here." Handing him a good chunk of the rabbit. To which he jumped at me, bawling his out eyes out with tears of joy and said "Thanks GobuHiccup!" It was awkward, so I told him "Alright, alright. Don't cling to me you big crybaby" chuckling. GobuSpyte was making the widest smile he could

In the end, we split the rabbit and ate it. After this long ordeal, some meat is pretty nice. While those weird bugs we had for food as babies weren't bad, they can't beat meat. I'm looking forward to tomorrow.


	2. New Life, New Friends

New Life, New Friends

 **AN: Hey guys, from this point on I'm going deviate a little bit more from the actual storyline from now on. More characters will appear and new powers will too.**

-DAY 5

Today as well, I go hunting in order to survive. GobuSpyte and I were chasing down another "Horned Rabbit." After a minute of GobuSpyte chasing it down and cornering it in front of a tree, I surprised it and stabbed it with my broken off rabbit horn, impaling it immediately.

With a steel gaze to nowhere, I said to myself, "This is the most legendary horn." Realizing how stupid and awkward it was, I just sat and started dissembling the rabbit. I tried to make the situation normal again by muttering, "Ah, uh…It's a nice day isn't it…Nothing, dammit." GobuSpyte just stared at me with confusion.

Leaving my embarrassing thoughts aside, I got a new and bigger horn yesterday too, thanks to GobuSpyte's fast reflexes, alongside with that strange message in my head.  
*GobuHiccup has obtained "Medium Animal Horn"!

Compared to last time, we got a big score. So sharing with GobuSpyte wasn't a problem.

Another message popped up, while I was eating my "Horned Rabbit"  
*You learned the ability "Escape"

So it's real. At that moment, GobuSpyte was worried and said, "What's wrong GobuHiccup?" I just blankly replied, "Hm? Nothin'"

Anyways, before I was reincarnated, I was an Esper. It seems I kept "absorption" after reincarnating as a goblin, luckily. In my previous world, people had a one out of ten thousand probability of being an Esper. Even with those odds, the "Consumption Absorption Ability" was incredibly rare.

In laymen's terms, whatever I put in my mouth, no matter how hard, no matter how potently toxic, anything inside my body becomes harmless. Then I absorb the special powers of anything I eat. I don't really understand it myself, but there isn't anything in the world I can't eat.

For living things, "freshness" is important. The limit to absorb whatever ability is at most 12 hours. If I keep eating the same thing, absorbing its powers becomes easier. Parts like the brain and the heart where power is concentrated increases that probability. After absorbing the ability, I can even power it up. Essentially, the "Consumption Absorption Ability" is by itself not very strong, but after eating and eating, it becomes unstoppable.

And like that, before being reborn, I devoured creatures of mass destruction and evil doing Espers. I had a countless number of useful superpowers, but… it's a damn shame that right now, all of my abilities have been reset. I even had things like "Precognition" too, man… But, I believe the "Consumption Absorption Ability" is plenty enough to make up for it. This ability;s effect lets me eat repulsive, mysterious insects without hesitation. I can just get back my other abilities.

Anyways, I told GobuSpyte, "Alright, let's keep at it," and just went on searching for more "Horned Rabbits." Recently, I got "Escape."

"When fleeing or running away, the probability of escaping and adapting to the environment increases." I wonder why the rabbit didn't try to escape when we confronted it today… Oh well. After that, two more horned rabbits were successfully captured and eaten. Going to sleep with a full belly was a pleasant feeling. It seems that the amount that GobuSpyte is relying on me is rapidly increasing. It's probably because the law of the jungle rules this world that contributed to him recognizing me as the superior being.

-  
DAY 6

Today, I started out helping GobuSpyte on his speech skills. It was only a matter of time until he got it down. Then, I noticed two girl goblins coming to approach us. They came up to us with expressions of awe. The two of them, surprisingly, looked almost exactly like the Astrid and Heather that I knew back in my old world. However, they still had the green goblin skin and their hair was shorter since they looked like my age right now. Still it was nice to see more familiar faces.

With smiling faces, they came up to us and greeted us. The one that looked like Astrid started with "Wow, you guys are eating 'Horned Rabbit' already? You guys are that strong? That's amazing. Hi, my name is GobuAstrid and this is my best friend GobuHeather." GobuHeather then greeted us too with a big smile. Apparently, newborn Goblins are weak enough to be easily defeated by horned rabbits, and because of this, nuts were the staple food which most of them ate in order to survive, or so I'm told by GobuAstrid. I then eagerly replied "Hi my name is GobuHiccup and this is GobuSpyte" In turn, GobuSpyte greeted them as well.

Meanwhile, I thought "Hey, this is my chance to rekindle my relationship with Astrid like in the previous world. She and I most of the time got along. So let's start up that relationship again." So of course, I then complimented on her cute looks, saying, "GobuAstrid, I just wanted to let you know that you look amazing for a goblin. GobuHeather you don't look half as bad as well." GobuAstrid's face blushed to color of a scarlet red along with her covering her face with her hands that was hiding her smile. GobuHeather only slightly blushed.

GobuAstrid proceeded to flirt back, "Oh, stop it you. You're quite the catch yourself" with a little giggle and saying to me "You're string and smart. That's really cool!" GobuHeather, on the other hand, decided to compliment GobuSpyte saying how he's cute in a slender yet muscular kind of way and looked very strong too. GobuSpyte, blushed as well with a bit of shyness. He also complimented her on how beautiful she looked too. According to the girls, the other goblins couldn't compare to me and GobuSpyte. To what degree is a Goblin even considered handsome anyway? I stared into the distance for a my head, I laughed, thinking it was a flirt fest.

Going back to the story, Goblins are fundamentally weak by nature. Therefore individuals with wisdom and luck seem to survive. Only a selected few with that degree of capability can be considered a true companion in order to survive. Tough indeed.

Well, I asked GobuAstrid precisely how many Goblins. She said many have fallen prey from the horn of the horned rabbit.

After hearing those words, I thought, "Eh? Seriously?" though the words flowed out of my mouth. After all, average sized horned rabbits are only a bit bigger than the rabbits back in my old world. Moreover, apart from its length, the horned rabbit makes efficient use of its two legs to execute an overhead attack to kill Goblins…. Oh, I suppose that it's possible.

After all, these primitive creatures aren't that smart. To strike and kick as an attack was typical. Fighting bare-handed will certainly get you killed.

The horn of the horned rabbit is a weapon. Only idiots will fight it upfront while being unarmed. Having a small body may also be a reason. The horn will pierce from below and towards the abdomen.

But…It's just recently that I've noticed that other have been mimicking me and GobuSpyte and have started carrying around sticks. Well, I guess it's a good thing.

Suddenly, I noticed something weird with GobuSpyte.

"Hm? What's up GobuSpyte?" I worried.

"…I'm kinda hungry," he confessed with a little chuckle.

"It is around that time. Then let's go hunting today," I claimed. "GobuAstrid, GobuHeather, would you girls like to come to?" I asked. The girls were silent for a few seconds and stuttered "eh?".

I started, "You two have taught me and GobuSpyte many things. It's thanks to you two. You guys probably can't around swinging on tree branches, right? Well, I won't ask you girls to do anything impossible." At that moment, I turned around and asked GobuSpyte, "Isn't that right, GobuSpyte?"

He chuckled, "Well, yeah. It's better than just being stuck doing one boring thing over and over."

The girls went silent again. I thought to myself, "Did GobuSpyte and I say something bad?"

All of a sudden, the girls and springed up and launched themselves at us, with GobuAstrid jumping on me and GobuHeather on GobuSpyte. GobuSpyte and I were caught by surprise.

The girls enthusiastically responded, "R-R-Really? C-C-Can we really? We're so happy! Thanks you guys! You two really are cool!"

GobuSpyte just got a huge grin and said, "We'd be happy to take you two with us."

I got a bigger grin and chuckled," GobuSpyte, you just took the words out of my mouth."

I then thought to myself, "If this were normal human children, then this is where likes and loves would be blooming…But, we're goblins…But like and loves could be sprouting considering our previous little flirt fest.

And like that, we four goblins went on hunting. Horned Rabbits are seriously delish.

-DAY 7

It was raining today, so we were relaxing and working in the cave.

Clonk-clonk sounds reverberated while I was striking and grinding a mysterious obsidian-like rock I found yesterday by the riverside. I'm trying to turn it into something knife-like.

Now, I wished to have fur clothes soon. I wanted to move on from the worn out cloth, but the horn I had was not suitable for cutting.

Partly because I was making a terrible noise and partly because they were interested in what I was doing, the goblins born in my generation me drew close. However, by ignoring them while continuing to work, they later scattered. Good riddance.

The older goblins for some reason were smiling while observing me. I don't know why.

Oh well, since I was able to make four pseudo-knives until slightly past noon, I'll consider this good. Since both my hands were starting to hurt slightly, I decided to end it at that. The pseudo knife manufacturing halted since it is just something to do in my spare time.

There were three people, GobuAstrid, GobuSpyte and GobuHeather, who were staring at my work without getting bored-no, next time I will count not by person[People] but by goblin. I then called for a strategy meeting concerning the formation of the next hunt.

Various opinions were noisily being voiced-although it is a field where I am mostly unchallenged, GobuAstrid, as she was slight above average in Goblin intelligence, did offer her opinion quite a bit. GobuHeather gave her opinion fewer times than GobuAstrid. GobuSpyte was constantly nodding or shaking his head as he was mixing up his words on what to say. During the meeting, a remarkably wrinkled goblin approached us.

This goblin is GobuJii. This [Goblin Community]'s oldest goblin, he possessed a social position close to an adviser, and above all, my name GobuHiccup was given to me by this grandfather goblin.

The strategy meeting was postponed for now, to listen to the various stories Gobujii told us. GobuJii has had a uselessly long life but he has very extensive knowledge, so I do not want to miss this opportunity.

Well, because it would only take about twenty years or so to be called an elderly goblin, this body will not be able to have a long life...Hahaha.

I pulled myself together.

GobuJii told us many things about this world such as the rules for levels and Rank Up, apparently such a thing exists, why in this cave except for us newly born goblins, there were only elderly goblins around, among other things.

Let's leave this world's levels, Rank Up and such for later. Let's first talk about the goblins who live in this cave.

Apparently the young goblins, maybe our goblin parents, are working away from home in the forest. Working away from home, in short, pillaging right? I understand.

Eh, are goblins so weak that they easily die from horned rabbits? That's what a newborn goblin is right? Goblins are certainly weak as a race. However, isn't this the reason for why the goblins born in this forest are able to move the day after, training to kill using a wooden stick and throwing stones in order to learn how to support themselves while literally learning cunning tactics and the skills needed to survive by risking their lives.

The weak die while the strong survive. I understand this very simple yet severe law.

Really, so merciless I want to cry.

Well, lately there are many individual who imitated us by pairing up when hunting horned rabbits. Because of that the surviving individuals numbered more than ever.

While I was nodding and saying "I see!", I saw that somehow GobuJii's loincloth began to change shape. (AN: Hehe. He popped a boner and was horny for human women.) Apparently his long life hadn't dulled his desire to spawn progeny, or perhaps he sensed that his death was close.

Ugh, after almost puking, I wanted to stop our talk as soon as possible and averted my gaze.

As if I can gaze long at that thing.

Since our talk had ended, his face showing how pleased he was with himself, GobuJii got a look of lust and went to the inner parts of the cave.

A short while later, feeble feminine shrieks were heard.

I put my hands together and prayed twice for the sake of the captured women.

Doing anything more than this is at the moment impossible for me. Someday I'd like to give those women peace.

Still, even living under those conditions is for sure unfair, I think. Even I felt that much sympathy.

-DAY 8  
We four (consisting of myself, GobuSpyte, GobuAstrid, and GobuHeather) went out hunting today. At any rate, for the past few days we have managed to become quite fully equipped, although the equipment is so crude that I don't know if it should count.

From several horns, I chose two comparatively large ones which I dual wielded. In case I was ever hit, I created a simple body armor full of gaps by binding the remaining horns together with ivy which I fastened around my body. The horns are surprisingly hard; but against thrusting attacks, the armor has little effect. However, against blunt damage, it's quite effective. This should be plenty enough protection to ensure I don't get any serious injuries.

GobuSpyte had been equipped with wooden chest armor along with a club. The club is so thick that he has to use both hands to hold it, and the handle had been shaved by using horns to make it thinner. Well, since he's both the physically strongest out of us, hitting stuff with his full strength is the style that he can use the best to his advantage.

Together with the scraps from the horned rabbit pelts and a sturdy piece of ivy, I constructed two simple staff slings to strengthen GobuAstrid's and GobuHeather's ranged capabilities. They used stones lying around as ammunition, and were our rearguard who could deal with birds and so forth while specializing in ranged combat. However, I also gave them makeshift axes out two more simple staffs with large, sharpened obsidian stones on their ends. They were currently not equipped with armor, but given the time I'd like to construct some for them. By the way, the worn-out loincloth is still standard equipment. I want new clothes. However yeah, with increased numbers, it gets easier as expected.

With GobuSpyte as the vanguard, myself as mid-range, and the girls covering the rear support, this formation was surprisingly effective, so the fruits of today's hunt included, in addition to the horned rabbits, new kinds of prey. The first was a poisonous snake with a length of sixty centimeters, a diameter of approximately six centimeters, and covered with black scales with a speckled pattern. I named the four we had caught "Night Vipers" (temporary name). Another looked like a bat, although I fear that it's probably something else, they couldn't help but stand out since their wings were shining in seven different colors. We found one of them and I named its kind as "Seven Colored Bats" (temporary name). The third looked like what you get if you combined an armadillo and a racoon dog together with the back covered with a hard shell. We found three of them and I named them "Armored Tanuki" (temporary name). Along with them, we also routinely caught four Horned Rabbits. Overall, this had been a pretty great haul.

However at any rate, the other three seemed to be strongly hinting at something by staring at me with round and cute eyes while uncontrollably drooling. Well, it's not like I don't understand them. While the other goblins would have eaten the captured spoils on the spot where they caught them, I wanted to appropriate the usable parts to make weapons of them which, when compared with eating them right away, took more time.

I also wanted to disassemble everything at the same time, so we didn't get to eat in the middle of the hunt. That's why I understood why they'd get hungry. But I ignored this while continuing the work. When they hung their heads in disappointment, I felt that was enough. Oh well, it can't be helped.

After removing the horn from the Horned Rabbit, I threw the bodies towards the three. Originally I wanted the pelt too, but their drooling appearances were too pitiful to look at. But they were, for some reason, staring blankly at me while slightly bending their heads to one side in puzzlement after receiving the meat.

Even though I told them not to eat, I handed them food. I think they were wondering what to do so I told them: "Because this is going to take a while, go ahead and eat that". After looking troubled for a while, they greedily munched on the simple food. By the time they finished their meal, the three goblins had bloodstains around their mouths.

After averting my eyes, I first decided to remove the shell of the Armored Tanukis. Since I couldn't break the shell with the Horned Rabbit horn, I had no objections to using it for the construction of armor. Here the pseudo-knife I made yesterday of the obsidian-like material became handy. Its cutting edge wasn't really stellar; however, compared to cutting with the horn, it was leagues better.

I already knew how to dismantle it. However, it seemed like the Armored Tanukis shell had stuck together to the skin, so it was easier to remove the skin with the shells attached. After a slightly close fight, I managed to tear off the entire skin together with the shells and a mysterious announcement was heard again.

[ Gobuhiccup has obtained Shell beasts skin furnished with shells!]

Like usual I thought, "What's this?" However, I soon concluded that I should leave it alone. I decided to also gain some nourishment before I continued, so I tore the Armored Tanukis heart, brain, and right leg to pieces and ate them. I gave the rest to GobuSpyte, Astrid, and Heather. There was still meat left after all. Nevertheless, the meat of the Armored Tanuki tasted good! The texture when chewing it was seriously awesome. When chewing, the flavors mixed together into a wonderful blend. Aah, I'll try to eat a bit of the shell to assess it.

Ability [Shell Defense] learned.

From just chewing it slightly, I learned the ability. It might have been because I ate the heart, brain, and right leg earlier. Incidentally, [Shell Defense] is the ability to, when using objects made from organic shells, increase defensive power, increase chance to block damage and reduce the chance of being hit with fatal attacks. Yes, it's a fairly good ability. It's profit, profit. Feeling good, I finished skinning the other Armored Tanuki quicker this time, since I now knew how to do it.

In my previous working place, I got used to dissecting creatures; as long as you have the know-how, it's easy to do. This time, I ate half the meat before throwing the remainder to GobuSpyte, Astrid, and Heather, after which I ate some more shells in order to slightly raise the level of [Shell Defense]. Ah, calling it levels is just an expression of mine. To make it easier to understand, I'm just calling it levels and there's no specific meaning behind it; understanding that the ability has gotten stronger is enough.

Next I started to disassemble the Seven Colored Bat. I removed the entire wing before pulling out the fangs which looked like they were for sucking blood. Then I split the meat and we all shared it. The flesh of the Seven Colored Bat was very tender compared to that of the Armored Tanuki, yes, a very good taste. Or how should I put it, ever since turning into a goblin, all food I've eaten has tasted good.

Is this perhaps because I've gotten the sense of taste of the race I was born as? Not that I really care anyway. I'm afraid that I didn't learn any ability from eating the bat. However, my physical ability seemed to have slightly increased and, after eating the meat, my body felt a sense of fulfillment.

My ESPer ability [Absorption] didn't only give me abilities like [Shell Defense], but also could increase my physical strength, defensive strength and vitality and such, thus strengthening my body which I was very thankful for. Even so, I wonder if my ESPer ability originated from my soul. I had the feeling I'd heard about how a famous scholar from somewhere had written a thesis named [Getting infected by a special virus causes ability to appear in compatible persons] or maybe I haven't.

While looking slightly puzzled, I realized that I had no means to ascertain the truth of this matter, and since the knowledge wouldn't be of any practical use anyway, I decided to drop this line of thought. Finally I started disassembling today's main dish, the three Night Vipers.

First I cut off the head of the snake with my obsidian knife; but since the snake skin was awfully hard, the edge of one of the knives got chipped. When I hung it up and tried to cut it again, it tore off. I thought I could make something of the snake skins so I tore it off. With their heads cut off and the snakeskin peeled off, each goblin received one snake each.

We ate. It was quite delicious. Yeah, if this was splashed with alcohol and burnt, it would be the same as eel dipped and boiled in sauce. That's how delicious I thought it was. Just from imagining it, I started salivating. The Horned Rabbit and the Armored Tanukis' crispy and slightly hard meat is delicious, and the super tender meat of the Seven Colored Bat is also delicious. However, the Night Viper slightly exceeded those in taste. This tastiness caused us to stop working, and all three goblins greedily wolfed down their share.

Ability learned: 【Thermography】

Ability learned: 【Venom】

Ability learned: 【Poison Resistance】

Ability learned: 【Sense Presence】

Ability learned: 【Evil Eye】

After eating it, I learned five abilities. Apparently the night viper was in a different league compared to the current me. When I eat something stronger than I am, the probability that I receive abilities from it significantly increases. This is one of the characteristics of my [Absorption] ability. But getting five abilities at once it truly a first. My guess is that this is because goblins are a weak species.

Well, I am truly satisfied with the results of this day's outcome. The remaining poisoned fang could probably be used as a tool. However, if any of the others were to even graze it, they would without doubt immediately be on the verge of death since they don't have [Poison Resistance]. Worst case scenario is that they'd die instantly.

That's why GobuAstrid spoke out for them, "You don't want us to eat its head? Why?"

I answered, "There actually poison in it. You can actually die from poison. So it too dangerous to eat." I received their looks of understanding.

Besides this time, I also received the ability [Venom] which I can use to apply poison to the tip of the horn that I'm currently using. Right now, I want to find an opponent to this against. If I'm not in direct contact, this ability doesn't activate; but compared to the poisoned fang, it's a lot safer to use. That's why, in case something were to happen, I ate the four heads of the snakes by myself. With this way, it would be a lot safer.

Yeah, poison (which is completely harmless to me because of the two abilities [Poison Resistance] and [Absorption] working in concert) only made the food taste bitter to me by giving the food a slight sting.

After eating and grabbing our stuff, we went back inside the cave to rest up. It was a busy day after all.


	3. Ambush and Evolution

Ambush and Evolution

AN: Hey guys, if you haven't noticed already I'm going to be using the Light Novel more than the manga for this fanfic. But, I'm going to use either or both when I think it's appropriate. One more thing, I'm changing GobuSpyte (or GobuKichi on who he's based on) so that's he's not really dumb. I'll also make sure to include GobuHeather on the hunts and changing the numbering for that.  
Also if you haven't already found the manga and light novel yet, here are the links to both. Keep in mind that they are slightly different. Also there will be more of a difference for my fanfic. Also, I primarily use MangaTown for my manga reading. So, if you find another site, then go you. I just prefer to keep my manga at the same site. One more thing, if you haven't already noticed it, I keep my Day groupings according to the manga's but that may change depending on some of the day's length. But I will be using the manga's day grouping mostly.  
Light Novel (LN): wiki/Re:Monster_Vol_1  
Manga: manga/re_monster/

-DAY 9

It rained today. It was a downpour.

Thus, by using the raw materials I acquired yesterday, I will work hard to manufacture new armor.

The goblin elder earlier told us about the needle like "Steel Grass" and the sturdy string like "Slender Ivy" that grew in the vicinity, so yesterday on the way back we gathered some to use when sewing with the Armored Tanuki skins furnished with shells and the Night Viper skins.

The first thing I made was my torso armor. I wanted to use the Armored Tanuki skin for the front and back, but the most important part was that the rear part was sturdy, and the rabbit horns that were previously used to protect the rear had been used to patch up the front. I mostly succeeded in closing any gaps.

With this, I have finally ranked up my garment from the worn-out loincloth.

Next I made a wooden square, I wanted to use the remaining the Armored Tanuki shells to reinforce it.

Though it is still quite shabby; with this, a sturdy shield has been completed. This was a present for GobuSpyte. For now, I would use the dual-wielded weapon style, and the shield would be too big for me to use. So, GobuSpyte should use it since he's the vanguard.

Besides, lately he had started to be able to use the cudgel one-handed, and not using the other hand would be wasteful.

When I handed it over, he was extremely delighted. GobuSpyte was now equipped with his wooden cudgel, which was the same size as his torso, the shield crafted from the Tanuki's carapace, and the wooden torso armor. Yes, he's starting to look quite armed and protected indeed.

Next is GobuAstrid's and GobuHeather's body armor.

Utilizing the remaining snake skin, the seven prismatic colored bat wings, and a small amount of the remaining horns, I stitched those together into a set of body armor that would resemble armored versions of the outfits they had in the previous world (think Dragons: Riders of Berk Armor, so when they were around 14-15 years old. But, the armor still didn't completely resemble the outfits they had previously.

Because it had been made using the Seven Colored Bat's wings it was quite vibrant; however, the bat wings proved to be surprisingly robust and elastic.

Since the horned rabbit's horn was arranged for protecting the vitals, the minimum required level of defense is expected.

After that, GobuSpyte and I tried to make a necklace out of the Seven Colored Bat's fangs both for the girls. Well, I felt that I didn't really have many options for using them so it was more something like a bonus.

The finished product was presented to the girls. I presented mine to Gobuastrid and Gocuspyte presented his to GobuHeather. They was very delighted too.

They both said, "You guys are so awesome! Thank you! We'll treasure it forever!" and hugged us.  
We replied, "We're glad you guys like it so much" with a big grin on both of our faces.

When I have time, I'll craft something to further help us. I'll try to make weapons for myself, armor for GobuSpyte, and a bow and quiver for the girls might be good, I think.

-DAY 10

We went out hunting today.

Today's spoils were Horned Rabbits, Night Vipers and Armored Tanukis.

We were unable to capture a Seven Colored Bat. I felt that I was close to learning something from eating it, but it can't be helped. Such things happen.

Ah, by the way, even though we encountered various creatures, they all seemed to be a lot stronger than us, so we avoided them and hunted what we were used to. Oh well, we're steadily raising our level, so we'll hunt them sooner or later. With hunting is finished for today, I'll explain levels to you.

Levels, to put it plainly, is partly a manifestation that makes different individuals' strength easy to understand.

Though I do not understand the working principle, when you squint a number will faintly appear floating in your field of vision.

The maximum level that can be obtained is 100, and this number can't be exceeded. Incidentally, right now my level is 86 and, as a goblin, it is fairly high.

I think it might have risen so much because I've been killing and eating high rank stuff like Night Vipers without receiving a single injury.

Also, although it might be inconsequential, GobuSpyte is level 78 and GobuAstrid and GobuHeather are level 55. We're getting stronger at a good pace.

Although to say that as a goblin, even when comparing a level 100 to other races, we are still small fry, so right now levels don't really matter.

However, in this world, there exists other interesting rules than levels.

According to GobuJii, when reaching level 100, growth stops there.

However those individuals with potential to grow further do not stop there, but instead can grow stronger through "Rank Up". In short, the individuals who have accomplishments can evolve into a stronger race while further increasing the individual's power.

If you assume that today I will keep growing as well, then generally I'd first evolve into a hobgoblin from a goblin, then into an ogre.

That is the general route.

Be that as it may, there exists other routes than to evolve into ogres. However, what race you evolve into will depend upon what actions you have performed.

For example, those who had turned into ogres, willingly drink the blood of prey, possess a certain intelligence, strength, and, above all, a high pride, turn into Vampires.

Those who had turned into ogres, preferring to use heavyweight weapons like axes and large swords, and have been endowed with unusual strength and resilience turn into Minotaurs.

Those who had turned into hobgoblins, willing to eat rotten corpses' flesh and bodily fluids, and finally start to eat even souls, become a [ Ghoul ].

Those who were hobgoblin that excel in handling certain weapons such as the sword, katana and spears, and possess intelligence and skills closest to a human become another existence completely [ Half Blood Lord ]. It's divided into various classifications of the [ Lord ] race system.

With things being as they are, following this system, by leveling up I'd turn into something related to an ogre.

This law of the evolution of species is, to put it bluntly, very strange. However, since it actually happens, I can't deny it; and for me who's living in a world of survival of the fittest, this helps me too.

Well, GobuJii says that usually [Rank Up] doesn't happen early. Because I wanted to see how far I could go, I didn't have a problem with that and decided to treat it as a challenge.

Nevertheless, for example, even if I become an ogre, I wonder what sort of evolution I will have. I don't think I will turn into a Vampire, because I don't really have very high pride. Probably not Minotaur, since I prefer light thrusting class weapons more than heavier weapons. I really don't want to turn into a Ghoul.

Well, the ghoul class is an undead, the same as the vampire, and there exist several different undead you can evolve into, for example the spell slinging Lich or the headless horseman Dullahan, according to GobuJii. If you want to become an undead type monster, it is easier to turn into a ghoul than a vampire, however losing the flesh of your body is a definite weakness.

The evolution that seemed best to me from his explanation seemed to be the Lord, who uses various types of weapons. Oh well, I still have a long way to go and it's not happening anytime soon. Having tired out from listening to his speech, I went to sleep since night had fallen.

-Day 11

Although the results of today's hunting was only one kind of species, the Seven Colored Bat, we caught quite a few of them, numbering fourty.

Today we entered one of the caves we discovered while exploring as we were curious if there was anything in it. The cave opened up into a large and gloomy room that had bats crowded together on its ceilings, when...

...Yeah, we were really saved by both of the 【Sense Presence】 and 【Evil Eye】 abilities that I had obtained from eating the Night Vipers.

If I hadn't anticipated the movements of the Seven Colored Bats with 【Sense Presence】 and limited their mobility with 【Evil Eye】, I'm certain that we would have died, as I wouldn't have had time to give instructions to the others.

The unpleasant truth is that even though the bats were weaker than us, I was prepared for death because their numbers were at least ten times more than ours. This battle made me realize that numbers are important, after all.

However, it looks like the four of us managed to survive without suffering any major injuries, such as losing a limb.

Despite the numerous minor injuries that we had received, we survived because of the new armor that we were wearing, as well as the solid shield which Gobuspyte was carrying.

Well, I think that it's important that we upgraded our arms, after all.

Putting the talk about such hardships aside, while the majority were able to run away, I dismantled the Seven Colored Bats that we were able to kill, and secured their wings and fangs. Once that was done, we ate the meat that was left over. The meat was delicious, and it seemed to melt in my mouth as I ate it.

Each goblin received ten Seven Colored Bats, and the amount of meat caused our stomachs to swell as we ate them.

Ability learned: 【Echolocation】

Ability learned: 【Pump Up】

Ability learned: 【Vampirephilia】

As a result, I was able to obtain three abilities. Well, I guess I would obtain something if I consumed so many of them.

With this, I've acquired all the abilities that I can get from the Seven Colored Bats. Since I can't reinforce my body and abilities anymore by eating them, it looks like they can only be used to help fill my stomach from now on.

Given that the growth rate was bad because the Seven Colored Bats are weak, I figure that it's not necessary to force myself to hunt them in the future. That being said, I will eat them when I want to since they're delicious.

Anyway, it's great that we discovered their nest at the level we're at. It looks like all of their abilities will be useful.

【Echolocation】 is a suitable ability for understanding the surrounding terrain and moving my body through it, in addition to using my sense of sight. It looks like it'll be a good way to prevent surprise attacks, as well.

In nature, the struggle for survival is intense, so I expect that 【Echolocation】 will be a very useful ability.

-DAY 12

As usual, we went hunting in order to obtain food to eat.

Today we hunted Night Vipers and Horned Rabbits, and we successfully hunted some Armored Tanuki as well. Afterwards, since the sun had started to set, we returned to the cave the same way that we always do.

Unlike Humans, Goblins are born with 【Night Vision】, so the darkness itself isn't a threat.

For that reason, I think if we could, we would continue to hunt since we can more or less see, even at night. However, there are many species that are stronger and more ferocious than Goblins that are active at night, so it's pretty dangerous.

Well, Goblins are basically a weak species.

These include the following:

"Red Bear (Tentative Name)," which resembles a brown bear with red fur.  
"Triple Horned Horse (Tentative Name)," which is a monster that's similar to a horse. Its entire body is covered in light brown scales and it has three horns lined up on its forehead.  
"Demon Spider (Tentative Name)," which is a spider that's approximately sixty centimeters in size. It has a characteristic yellow line carved into its black carapace, which appears to be stronger than steel.  
"Green Slime (Tentative Name)," which is a small-fry monster like the Goblin, but it appears to possess a 【Nullify Physical Attacks】-like ability for some reason.

And so on...

I don't have any motivation to kill them though, since the probability of them killing me is higher than usual. As it stands right now, I'd probably be incapacitated in no time if I was hit with a high enough level poison. Well, that's why we return home and don't go out at night. Having said that, we returned to the cave, which appears to be in a safe location.

After that, I was attacked in my sleep.

However, I was able to avoid the attack at the last moment while lying in my bed, so I wasn't injured. This was due to my【Sense Presence】 ability, which is a passive ability, meaning that it is always active.

The main offenders were Goblins from my generation. There were six of them, and they had some intelligence, since they had recently copied my group and started using tree branches as weapons.

There's a corner that I habitually sleep in, which I claim whenever I go to do so. Nature won't go easy on someone even if they're attacked by their own family with tree branches, though. While they were surprised that their surprise attack on me had failed, I didn't miss my chance to launch a counterattack.

The outcome of this was that I turned the tables on them.

I ended up killing one of the Goblins because I made a mistake in the creation and use of the venom that was dripping from my weapon thanks to my 【Venom】 ability, but that couldn't be helped. Since they were the cause of the situation, they couldn't do anything about it.

For the rest of the attackers, I successfully created and applied a muscle relaxant poison and used it to simply stop their movements. I beat them from top to bottom with a tree branch, but I didn't kill them. In the end, they were rolling around the area in pain.

I'll hear the circumstances behind their attack tomorrow. Since they were injected with a non-fatal poison, they should be better by then, so I'll have to find out why they attacked me at that time.

As for Goblins, our self-healing abilities are high because we grew up in the wild. It's already too late for one of them, though. I'll say this again, but that couldn't be helped.

However, because there was such a commotion, the Goblins that were sleeping soundly had started waking up. It's only natural that the entire cave started to get noisy as a result.

I thought that they would say something, but GobuJii, the leader of the older Goblins, simply thought that it was survival of the fittest at work, so nothing in particular was said. They simply turned towards the body with a slightly pitiful look in their eyes. Since I thought that I would be punished for killing a member of the same species, I was thankful that they didn't blame me for the death.

However, GobuAstrid didn't understand the situation and was the scariest of them all.

Even though I tried to pacify her as I restrained her from behind, I couldn't laugh at the situation because I had the most trouble saving the Goblins that attacked me. At the same time, I was saying things like "No! A Goblin's skeletal structure won't let their arm turn that way! It'll break!" and "Their neck won't turn around anymore! You'll tear their head off!"

Oh, by the way, GobuSpyte and GobuHeather were sleeping soundly the entire time. Well, it's said that sleep helps a child grow. In fact, GobuSpyte's physically bigger than most of the other Goblins from our generation. Is he ten centimeters (or about four inches) taller than I am?

Because I can rely on him as our vanguard, I think I'll ignore the fact that he shamelessly continued to sleep during the commotion this time. On top of that, I wouldn't welcome it if the number of rampaging Goblins increased because he woke up.

Anyway, in this way, I calmed down the agitated GobuAstrid who was tearing up with worry.

I created and spread a weak sleeping poison which I released from my toes. After she lost consciousness, I carried her back to her bed.

After that, I took the corpse outside since it was unpleasant to leave a corpse of the same species near my bedroom in a pool of its own blood...or maybe it was because it had started to smell.

Thanks to my normal strength being twice what it should be at my current level as well as it being enhanced by the 【Pump Up】 ability that I obtained from the Seven Colored Bats yesterday, it was unexpectedly easy for me to finish moving a corpse that had almost the same physique that I have.

GobuJii said to place the corpse in a slightly remote location so that other monsters would come and eat it, and then told me to run away right after I did so.

However, once I had carried the corpse a certain distance, I hid myself and ate it. I did this because I was interested.

My thoughts? Yeah...it wasn't delicious, but it didn't taste unpleasant either.

This was the first time I didn't think something was delicious. I cocked my head to the side and thought about this for a moment. Since I thought that one arm was already enough, I left the rest as planned.

Well, that being said, today wore me out, so I went to sleep.

-DAY 13

We were exploring a mountain located a little deeper in the forest today when we discovered a pig-faced demi-human walking through the mountains with a pickaxe on its shoulder. The color of its skin was brown and its stomach was sticking out, but I could tell from its slightly muscular appearance that it had trained its body to some extent. In addition, the clothes it was wearing were just a little bit better than what a new Goblin would wear. It wore this clothing on both the upper and lower portion of its body.

I felt just a little bit irritated by this fact. The initial clothing that a Goblin has is just a loincloth, after all. The superb item that was hanging at its waist was too large, and I want to take the item which can be seen slightly protruding from its clothes by any means necessary. Yeah, I want to chop it up.

It's likely that I've discovered an 【Orc】, a monster whose fame is equal to that of a Goblin.

Unlike a Goblin, which has the physique of an early primary school child, its height is a hundred and seventy centimeters (or about 67 inches)... or maybe even more than that? Man, looking at it with my current body, that Orc is huge!

If one's unlucky, there'll be approximately a forty to fifty centimeter (or about 16 to 20 inches) difference in height.

After observing it for a while, I determined that the Orc we found is something we have a good chance of defeating, even if we launch a frontal attack and fight it alone. However, the problem is the numbers.

Orcs appear to be a stronger species than Goblins, and there's a big difference in their physiques. As for my current self, aside from going one-on-one with it, I may not be able to protect the others if we're exposed to several attackers.

If there's too much of a difference in our numbers, even I don't know what will happen. I can't get rid of the possibility that we won't be able to escape, either.

Having said that, when we discovered it, it looked like it was a stray Orc.

Just in case, I used 【Thermography】 to check our surroundings, but I have to be careful doing so because my eyes will become useless if I look at the sun. It's troublesome that it's so difficult to use during the day, so I used 【Echolocation】 to carefully search the area as well.

As a result, I found that there were no other Orcs around, so we decided to launch a fierce attack on it.

At first, we closed the distance with it as we remained hidden in the thick bush. The girls then used their Staff Slings to fire a stone that was completely soaked in venom at the Orc's eye. Their talent with it has recently blossomed and the stone hit its target with the poison successfully invading its body after crushing its eye.

I was worried about them handling stones that had been coated in deadly poisons similar to instant death poisons. In the first place, it's impossible for the fight to end with this, since I can't refine the poison to the Orc's ability level, yet. However, since it felt acute pain in addition to losing its eyesight, it couldn't keep its composure.

GobuSpyte had then matched his timing with the attack by smashing his very thick cudgel into the front of the Orc's knee with all of his strength, causing a dull sound to resound as the knee twisted at an angle that shouldn't be possible.

The Orc rolled around on the ground and screamed as its ugly pig face became even uglier.

Because GobuSpyte has completely mainly focused on strength stats since we began hunting, he was probably able to crush the Orc's body to this extent because his current body build stresses his offensive and defensive capabilities. This incident confirmed that it's possible for him to break bones as well. Gobuspyte. This guy, he's producing results beyond my expectations.

Having said that, I enhanced my leg strength with 【Pump Up】 and stomped on the back of the Orc that was rolling around on the ground before pinning it down and keeping it from struggling. I then used the two horns I have to stab it in an area that I think would be near the kidneys if this was the back of a Human.

The Orc inhaled a breath as it prepared to call for help.

However, GobuSpyte swung his club down on its head before it could scream, and an unpleasant sound could be heard despite the fact that he hadn't crushed its skull. After that, the Orc's blood soaked into the club as he repeatedly swung it down. In the end, it wasn't able to scream.

As for me, after sloppily churning its internal organs with my horn and simultaneously releasing a muscle relaxant poison from the pointed end that I stabbed it with, I removed the horn and continued to stab the Orc with it until it died.

In this way, we successfully hunted our first Orc.

Of course, we ate it after that.

The girls had both arms and the left leg, Gobukichi-kun had everything else below the lower back, and I ate everything else that remained. As for the taste, it was like a pig after all. Rather, it was more like high quality pork. First off, Orcs are delicious. Pork is delicious!

Ability learned: 【Libido】

Ability learned: 【Orc Language】

Ability learned: 【Detect Analysis】

These are the abilities that I was able to learn from it.

It was good luck that I learned 【Orc Language】 and 【Detect Analysis】. However, as for 【Libido】, although it would allow me to perform outstandingly if I used it, since I'd have to choose a time and a partner in order to do so, I'll leave it alone for now.

It looks like I'll be able to talk to Orcs from now on with 【Orc Language】. Since there's this sort of ability, if I were to acquire one from this system for the Human language, then I would be able to deal with them.

Now we come to 【Detect Analysis】, which appears to let me understand the abilities of an object I've examined (restricted to goods), though this depends on the ability's level as well. When I used it on a nearby fruit, I was quite surprised that it even displayed whether or not something was poisonous.

Yeah, it looks like I was able to obtain a very useful ability.

Man, it was really good luck that I was able to eat an Orc here. However, why it possessed an ability as convenient as 【Detect Analysis】 is a mystery.

Oh, that's right. I didn't mention it before, but I also collected the pickaxe that the Orc had. It's likely that we'll be able to use it for something.

After that, we hunted more Night Vipers, Armored Tanuki, and Horned Rabbits as usual. Because the sun had started to set, we returned to the cave.

We've gotten so used to dismantling that I could do it with my eyes closed, and we were able to finish the preparations without putting too much time into it. The results of today's hunt wasn't just split between the four of us. I also let the Goblins in the cave that couldn't move well because they've been starving for a few days eat as well.

It's unpleasant, but the reason for yesterday's attack appears to be mostly due to the food situation of the Goblins from my generation.

Anyway, as for the attack's direct perpetrators, it looks like they wanted to help the Goblins from my generation that hadn't eaten anything decent in several days because they lacked the strength or wisdom to find food even if they moved around in search of it. There were more females than males among these members.

However, the attackers were barely able to obtain enough food for themselves, so it wasn't possible for them to support the others.

Therefore, since I was able to enjoy the most substantial meals, they wanted to beat me up and make me surrender. Then, they planned to have me gather food for the others. A number of them had gathered, and they thought that it might go well if it was me. It was simple, really.

Although I was able to laugh and ignore such a thing, it would be troublesome if it happened again in the future. Since they were depending on us to eat, it couldn't hurt to sell favors for the time being.

Man, I want to say that I don't care about those who can't obtain food on their own, but from what GobuJii told me afterwards, it appears that there are inept Goblins like them in every generation. It looks like most of them died, but as one would expect, they're too pathetic as the same species as myself.

This will be the first and last act of compassion that I'll do.

Having said that, they expressed their gratitude to me. They were crying as they said thank you.

Because I don't need their thanks, I told them to pay me back by learning to catch their own share of prey to eat.

For now, I gave the pitiable guys a lecture on how to hunt Horned Rabbits.

I had some of them form parties, and advised them to put all their weight on their foot and crush its backbone after they block its horn by deliberately thrusting it into a tree branch. It's simple, but I judged that it would be plenty.

Anyway, this method will be tested in actual combat tomorrow. In exchange for this, I told them to bring their share of the food they ate from today's spoils to the others in the cave when they can.

This was probably the first time they've had meat for food since they were born. I taught them how to hunt as well, though it was just the basics.

If I do this and they repay my kindness with ingratitude, then I won't hesitate to use them as sacrificial pawns. To be more specific, I can use them as decoys to lure something into a trap if it doesn't look like I can defeat it without being harmed. I'll wait for that moment without expecting too much from them.

Also, the five Goblins that attacked me have already become my subordinates. Naturally, they're completely obedient to my orders, so I assigned them some daily responsibilities.

The goods they presented to me for today's assignment was five Horned Rabbits, which I distributed to the starving goblins.

As for the phrase "survival of the fittest," it's really good when you're one of the fittest, you know.

I grew tired after I finished distributing the food, so I went and shut my eyes as I rolled into my bed, which had been improved a little with Seven Colored Bat wings.

Sleepiness immediately came over me.

【Your level has exceeded the minimum required value. 】

Since special conditions ≪Overrunning Lively Motion≫ and ≪Unique Behavior≫ have been cleared, it's possible to 【Rank Up】 into a 【Hobgoblin - Variant】.

Would you like to 【Rank Up】?

≪ＹＥＳ≫ ≪ＮＯ≫】

Although I had a feeling that this was being displayed in my mind, since I was very tired, I picked ≪ＹＥＳ≫ right away and went to sleep.

【GobuHiccup has obtained the【Divine Protection】 of the Great God governing ≪Origin and Demise≫】.


	4. Rank Up and Leadership

Rank-Up and Leadership

AN: If you guys, haven't already noticed, with GobuHeather appearing that means GobuE's little begging action with the other goblins won't happen with her as the starter, but will have a random goblin taking her place. It's only for this little part, since GobuHeather was based off of GobuE. It's different in the LN since it doesn't really mention GobuE directly and immediately.

-DAY 14

When I woke up, my body had changed so much that it couldn't compare to how it was before I went to sleep.

The changes to my body shocked me. I thought hard about what I heard yesterday before I went to bed. I see, so this is a Rank Up, huh. The mysteries of this world make me shudder.

No, no, from my own experience, I can understand; however, the natural laws of this world are so amazing that it's beyond scary.

After killing and eating the Orc yesterday, I went from the size of a human child to the size of an adult human in one night. My physical strength, eyesight, and hearing had increased dramatically. Even the abilities I had gained before yesterday had also become more powerful.

This is scary. Even though my body has grown a ridiculous amount, I didn't feel any sense of discomfort at all from my new form. Even though such a huge change should've made me go insane, that didn't happen in the least.

Even though my body had grown so much, I didn't feel any muscle pains from it at all; instead, I felt overflowing power that was incomparable to before like a temporary feeling of omnipotence. Freaky, right? Seriously.

Now, if I was an ordinary guy, I would've probably be so happy that I would do stupid things until the feeling passed. However, the reality is that I wasn't even close to being as powerful as I felt, and therein lies a trap.

That's why the rules of this world are scary.

Now, that aside.

It was interesting to watch GobuSpyte, who had grown bigger as well, just stand there with a confused look.

It seems that he also passed over level 100 after the battle with the Orc yesterday, causing him to undergo a Rank Up. However, unlike mine, his skin didn't turn black. In fact, I couldn't see any difference in his skin color at all; he was still the same old green.

Well, let's put that aside as well. The thing that interested me the most was his face.

He no longer looked like an ugly Goblin like he had used to be. His naive look held some attractiveness in some aspects. His ears were still pointed, and his nose looked somewhat hooked. Nevertheless he looked a lot like a human. Having green skin might not be very human-like; nonetheless his looks were approaching to that of one.

Then, what about me? While wondering about this, I checked the obsidian knife for my reflection.

What I saw was my face looked like a younger version of my human face…Yeah, as one would expect, I was completely stunned until it settled in.

For now, I went to the wall close by our sleeping place, grabbed a caterpillar-like mystery bug, and started munching on it from the head.

After I had calmed down, I grabbed GobuSpyte and went to look for the Goblin Elder.

That's because if I didn't make use of the Goblin Elder at times like this, his existence wouldn't have any point at all.

Just in case, because it felt risky, I wouldn't mention the [Origin and Demise]-ruling [Divine Protection of the Great God] that I also received.

What I learned was:

1) Upon turning into a Hobgoblin, my body and appearance became closer to a human. The reason for this is unknown. It's one of the mysteries of the world. Apparently because of the Hobgoblin's human-like appearance, they could even live in human towns. However, there is a long past of Goblin slavery, and most of those coexisting with humans are still slaves. Those with good looks have become sex slaves for human perverts.

2) The difference between GobuSpyte's and my skin color is because I am of a subspecies. Subspecies are generally stronger and have special abilities when compared to the standard ones. Unless special conditions are cleared you can't become a subspecies, which is why they're rarely seen, so apparently I'm kind of unusual.

3) Furthermore, my skin color is black. Black is the symbolic color of the oldest god of the world, the one who controls the beginning and the end of something-something. Even among the subspecies mine is the absolute rarest while being the strongest, and with studying, they're capable of learning the strongest magic possible.  
Also, to the believers of this god, I'm somewhat like a living idol, an object of worship. If that's not the case, then parts of my body are thought to be materials used in rituals to communicate with the god, so I have to be careful when it's late in towns and stuff. Religion is scary no matter what world you're in.

4) How should I put it, becoming a Hobgoblin when not even a month had passed is supposedly very strange in the first place. The old man who's still a Goblin said so, so it's probably true. By the way, of the Goblins who left to work away from home, (apparently exactly 40 Goblins), only 3 had turned into Hobgoblins.

5) Also, because GobuSpyte and I had become Hobgoblins before we left the cave, we were allowed to freely use the human women in the cave as we'd like. We also received the right to take things from the warehouse, and use them however we want.

Oh-. Is that so-?

…Yes, because he was kind of long-winded, I ignored most of what he said by repeating those words and pretending to listen. Particularly around point three, and the reason for that is obvious. Like I said before, no matter what world one is in, religion is scary. Even more so now that I've obtained the [Origin and Demise]-ruling, and [Divine protection of the Great God] characteristics with my Rank Up. It makes me think that it'll probably turn into more trouble than it's worth. I thought that this was something I should hide as long as possible.

As expected, we didn't even consider going hunting today. I practiced martial arts together with Gobukichi in order for us to accustom ourselves to our new bodies, the sparring was especially intense. Gobukichi's power was too much for him to know how to utilize it, making him quite warlike.

Though I, who has had an interest in many different forms of martial arts, never lost, I could conclude that Gobukichi's power was at least somewhat stronger than how he was before. As expected, it seems like his abilities are specialized in the vanguard role.

He wasn't very agile or quick, but his offensive and defensive power had increased tremendously while making him a powerful tank and damage dealer, a hybrid character. Once we concluded our martial arts practice, the afternoon was dedicated to replacing our now too small and old armor.

Since I've grown, the horn and obsidian knife I've been using have become too small for me to handle effectively. However I'll just have to bear with it today. My venom by itself is an adequate weapon, so I can overcome this handicap for now.

That's why today's plan is to use the stockpiled materials from the Armored Tanukis, Night Vipers and various other monsters to create new armor.

We used the armored shells from the Armored Tanukis, and the snakeskin from the Night Vipers, to create new equipment. I was satisfied with the results. The armor we created was light, flexible, and quite robust.

To put it simply, it was armor based off of leather. We didn't make cloaks, but since it looked like light brown leather clothes with long sleeve arms and full-length pants, it should be alright. The metal shells had been placed in strategic location which further increased its defensive capabilities. We thought about our freedom of movement while creating it, so when we tried it out, it performed far better than expected. It barely obstructed us at all.

We even finished crafting the girls' armor that we couldn't complete earlier because of insufficient materials.

Since it's mainly made out of Seven Colored Bats, it looks a bit gaudy though. It somewhat gives the feeling of being a national costume from somewhere.

By the way, the food tonight was prepared from Horned Rabbits caught by the other Goblins.

It wasn't filling enough, but it was still better than nothing. Since it tasted good, I was fine with their catch.

-DAY 15

Our first hunt since our Rank Up to Hobgoblins.

Since we're going to display the might of our new bodies for the first time, I'm a bit nervous.

Today, the first prey we encountered was a humanoid with the head of a dog and fur all over its body. I don't know where it got them from but it was wearing rusted armor with an equally rusty long-sword. I decided to name this monster, "Kobold". From observation, it seems the Kobolds are a higher rank than Goblins and about the same rank as Orcs.

If we include the equipment, then compared to the Orc we ate, it's probably an even higher rank. In physical strength, the Orc would be more powerful, but the Kobold would be superior in terms of speed and agility.

If it were the 'us' from before, we would've retreated immediately, or more likely, used my abilities to avoid the fight altogether. Using the girls' accurate, poison-coated stones as support, GobuSpyte and I faced the Kobold from the front.

Excluding myself, who has evolved into a subspecies, GobuSpyte's combat ability increased significantly thanks to his equipment. His cudgel was reinforced by wounding shells around it while his shield was made out of shells. The Kobold only had its rusty armor while GobuSpyte had various shell armors to help him. GobuSpyte attacked the Kobold directly.

Rank Up is scary isn't it? Someone who was weak only just yesterday turned into a great warrior in one day.

GobuSpyte got some minor wounds and had GobuHeather treat them using some of our medicinal herbs. The Goblin Elder taught us about medicinal herbs earlier.

While they did that, I took the opportunity to strip the Kobold of its possessions. On his waist hung three stones. Using my [Appraisal] ability, I discovered that they were "Fire Spirit Stones". Apparently non-sentient low-level fire spirits dwell within the stones. I pocketed them and then started looting him of his armor. I hung the slightly rusty longsword together with two books I had on my waist.

From the corpse, I took the brain, the heart, and the right arm. The others decided to split the rest evenly.

They left an impression as they had a strange texture. Although the taste is subtle, they were still delicious.

Ability [Kobold Language] learned.

Ability [Predict] learned.

As I thought, Kobolds are stronger than the average Hobgoblin. The reason GobuSpyte could win was because of the huge difference in gear quality. On the other hand, I could win due to my numerous abilities and combat experience.

Also, after eating the three Fire Spirit Stones, Ability [Pyrokinesis] was learned. I gained the ability to produce fire. In the natural world, it's hard to overcome this difference. And this was the outcome of the battle. After that, we hunted some Horned Rabbits, then returned.

Today, the tribute my Goblin subordinates gave me were Horned Rabbits mixed with Armored Tanukis which surprised me. "These guys, they're finally growing up…" I lamented to myself. I think I'll give shell shields to the Goblins who are to fetch Armored Tanukis in the future.

For the evening meal, I grilled the meat the others brought, and we had a party.

-DAY 16

Today, the other Goblins of our generation begged me to teach them by saying "please teach us more ways of killing things" while prostrating themselves. The Goblins inside the cave were in a row alongside each other as they got on their hands and knees to prostrate before me. It was quite the surreal scene to watch.

You see, the Goblins that brought me food had managed to survive by killing Horned Rabbits, as expected. However, they also had Night Vipers to fight as opponents. Since we've been able to kill them, the Goblins want us, or I should say me, to teach them how to survive against the Night Vipers.

"What do we gain from this?" we asked, and when we told them that, they said that they'd give us tribute for it.

Well, it's no great loss for us, so before the sun had reached its zenith, most of the surviving Goblins, together with my three companions, had a combined practice session.

It's a dog eat dog world. So, from the start, I'm thoroughly going to drill into their bodies that I'm superior to them regardless if the trainee is male or female. Also, since dealing with insurrections is troublesome, I'm going to make obeying me an instinct, by endless repetition if I have to.

I aim to stop training at the last moment to ensure they don't have any spare energy while preventing their bodies and minds from breaking.

The result was that everyone (including GobuAstrid [who was barely standing], GobuSpyte, and GobuHeather) had no strength left to move.

For the Goblins who trained and worked to the point of collapsing, I planned on using the tribute they've gathered to make something for them.

I had the motivation to do something, but it's probably better if I didn't do anything absurd. It's the end once you die.

GobuAstrid and GobuHeather laid exhausted and trembling among the other females while showcasing their armor and necklaces with extreme pride, but let's pretend I didn't see that. In the afternoon, I went hunting alone for the first time since my reincarnation.

I don't know how it was in the beginning, but now I can move around this forest like it's my home turf. When I somehow managed to procure enough game for the ones who couldn't move, I concluded that day's hunting.

That evening, I went into the inner parts of the cave where the human women were held captive. Since I turned into a Hobgoblin, I've become closer in appearance to a human, so I thought having a conversation might be possible.

Well, the outcome was – I couldn't have a conversation with them. They were completely broken. Their eyes were utterly dead, and they were drooling uncontrollably. There was a faint smell of corpses around them.

Compared to how they were the last time I saw them, they were a lot worse off this time. Also, in this short period of time, the youngest of the girls had gotten pregnant. It was an inevitable event, but I still felt a lot of pity for her. I couldn't help but think that a girl this cute would have married into a nice family, yet she ended up here only to be repeatedly violated.

I didn't want this to continue, and so I asked,

"Do you want to die?"

If it was the me from before, I'd end up pressing my hands together to offer a prayer, but now that I've ranked up into a Hobgoblin, I asked. The way I am now, I'd be able to kill or help these girls if they asked me to. Since even if I was found out, my safety was guaranteed. However, my question was left unanswered. There was some movement; her small, weak lips moved slightly, and as if she just remembered how to, a tear fell from her eye.

Having understood the women's intentions, I took a small liquid-filled bottle, something I had obtained from hunting the Kobolds which I left behind, from my pouch. After I handed it to them, I walked back to the cave bedroom. I didn't look back.


	5. Experience, Observe, and Learn

Experience, Observe, and Learn

AN: GobuE is supposed to be GobuHeather. I've eliminated the parts where GobuE/GobuHeather is supposed to gain experience as GobuE/GobuHeather has joined before this chapter.

DAY 17

I woke up early and went to the interior of the cave. The captured women were all dead. They all laid still as if they were asleep. From the look of things, the girls had drank poison and died in their sleep. Where they got that poison is, however, a mystery. Truly, a mystery.

After taking the small empty bottle that was laid close to them and storing it inside the bag hanging from my waist, being the one who discovered them, I went to report to GobuJii.

GobuJii hurriedly rushed over, and in front of the limp pseudo-Goblin that had spilled from the beautiful girl's womb, he bitterly cried whilst grieving; however, I couldn't care less.

For the girl's corpses, I took responsibility for their disposal, and because it was a pity to just let wild animals feed on them, I decided to cremate them. As payment for my labor, I took a heart, stomach, breast, and uterus.

Since the [Pyrokinesis] ability I got the other day wasn't enough, I thought about what I usually do, so I collected a bunch of [Oily Grass] to make it burn well and a bunch of twigs were used to ensure the heat was enough.

After using my [Pyrokinesis] to ignite the fire, I prayed for the girls' happiness in the next world whilst looking at the pillar of blazing flame.

Among the girls, there seemed to be those with adventurer skills. Quite a lot of them of actually.

This group of migrant workers was perhaps unexpectedly strong. They might only have looked weak because they were captured.

Ability [Human Language] learned.

Ability [Continental Letter Deciphering] learned.

Ability [Mental Mapping] learned.

Ability [Job-Magician] learned.

Ability [Job-Light Swordsman] learned.

Ability [Job-Druid] learned.

Ability [Job-Craftsman] learned.

It's unusual for me, but I didn't feel the slightest inclination to learn about my new abilities. After morning practice, I sent out my three friends to go hunting since I wasn't in the mood. I then tried making shell-based shields, armors, and swords from the materials accumulated to this day.

Lately, crafting has become somewhat of a hobby of mine…

Ah, it seems my new skill [Job-Craftsman] became useful immediately.

The goods I crafted came out a lot better than before. The ability, like its name implied, corrected the mistakes.

Speaking of which, the shield and armor came out successfully while the shell-based sword ended up in failure.

As for my meal, my three friends shared a part of what they hunted, together with the tribute that had increased since yesterday.

Ah, this might be a bit late, but the girls had also turned into Hobgoblins today.

They had become quite cute, it was intimidating.

The difference from when they were Goblins is remarkable.

GobuSpyte and I couldn't help but flirt.

Because their old equipment is now too small for them, GobuSpyte and I lent them our spares.

They made a subtle expression, happy while unsatisfied, so GobuSpyte and I decided to make them brand new equipment at a later date. Truth is, we would have happily made it today, but there wasn't enough time.

-DAY 18

After finishing morning practice, the four of us came upon some Kobolds while out hunting.

This time, there were four of them; two of which were equipped like the earlier one with armor and longswords, and the other two both had a short bow and a quiver.

While thinking "Could this be another chance to strengthen the girls?", I checked the surroundings for additional enemies in order to make a decision.

With it being all clear, I chose to commence the assault.

With the Kobolds that could attack from range with the bow and arrows being a higher threat compared to the others, a sneak attack with a poisoned stone from the girls' staff sling was the decisive action.

With the poisoned stone hitting the Kobolds right in the eye, we stole away the bow wielding Kobold's usual composure and vision.

Not wanting to waste the time while the other Kobolds were in a panic, GobuSpyte and I moved to utterly defeat the two Kobolds who possessed longswords that looked slightly better than the one we got earlier.

My longsword might be worn out, but for my current body, it's just the right size. I've also gotten used to my body, so separating the Kobolds head from his body was easy.

Right now, the horn I used earlier is more like a knife now which might have made me feel the difference all the more.

GobuSpyte violently broke all his opponent's bones, which was kinda gross to look at.

The girls, with their pseudo-axes made of obsidian-like stone I gave earlier, slashed the bow-wielding Kobolds' throats and gave em' a finishing blow.

Apparently, the girls' evolution direction lay in brains and speed.

To use weapons cleverly, intelligence was needed after all.

After that, we worked hard disassembling the body. We collected the armor, GobuAstrid and GobuHeather got the short bows and quivers, and I took the slightly better looking long swords for myself.

Since there was no suitable loot for GobuSpyte, he will have to wait till next time.

While these Kobolds sadly didn't have any fire spirit stones, my collection of small bags increased by four.

One I kept for my own use, and the other three I gave to the other Goblins for putting medicinal plants in it. Now, if something were to happen, I'm sure they will be of great use. Each Goblin got one body to eat.

I didn't get any new abilities. I felt that with just a bit more, I'd gain something new and the ability that I already had, [Predict], got slightly stronger. [Predict] lets me see my opponents' attack trajectories as red threads, so in battle it can be incredibly convenient.

After that, we hunted whatever we came across before we returned to the cave in order to sleep.

-DAY 19

After completing morning practice, I didn't go hunting. Instead I went to look at the warehouse in the inner parts of the cave. Since some of the captured girls had adventurer-like abilities, it occurred to me that items relating to those abilities might have been captured together with the girls.

Just from looking at the stuff, even a genius like me couldn't decide what's trash and what's worth keeping; however, thanks to the ability I got from the Orc, [Detect Analysis], I could now see the items' details.

In addition, since analyzing stuff gave the ability experience, even analyzing duds wasn't a waste of time.

With such a carefree mood, it seems I found a treasure trove. A fairly large one at that.

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Weapon-Staff] Beginner Magician's stave]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Weapon-Staff] Blessed Mistletoe stave]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Weapon-Sword] Iron Estoc x3]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Weapon-Dagger] Bowie Knife x4]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Weapon-Axe] Iron Battle-Axe x2]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Weapon-Ranged] Crossbow x2]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Weapon-Consumable] Iron Tipped Arrow x50]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Protection-Shield] Iron Round Shield x2]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Protection-Armor] Damaged Breastplate]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Protection-hand] Solid Iron-Wrought Gauntlet]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Medicine] Health Potions that may have gone bad x6]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Medicine] Mana Potions that may have gone bad x8]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Medicine] Holy Water Bottles of the Enrique Faith x3]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Storage] Backpacks x2]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Storage] Field Pack x3]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Book] First Volume of "World Wandering Journal: From Imperial Capitals to Unexplored Regions"]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Book] Second Volume of "Introduction to Magic – Basic Sorcery"]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Book] "Nature of God's Prayer: Scenario of Receiving"]

[ GobuHiccup has obtained [Book] "Recommended Guide to Erietta Continent's Alphabet"]

When going over it, I found treasure after treasure.

At first glance, it seems to be composed entirely of unusable scrap; however, below the uppermost layer, lots of useful stuff laid sleeping. Yeah, it seems this place truly is a treasure trove. While there's no great difference between the Estocs I found and the long swords I'm carrying currently, the Estocs were in a better condition, so I decided to swap.

Comparing the obsidian knife I'd been using till now with the Bowie knives, their blades were longer and their edges sharper. The blade is single edged, and only at the tip of it is double-edged. I suspect it's meant to be used as a hunting knife, so I took the knives as well. Four knives might be a lot; but since the production of pocket knives already has begun, there's really no problem.

I looked forward to a later time when I'd disassemble the knives to learn how they were made.

After that, except for the Estoc I picked and the long sword I swapped for it, I ate the rest of the swords.

Ability [Improved Slashing Power] learned

Ability [Improved Piercing Power] learned.

I learned [Improved Slashing Power] from eating the long sword, and [Improved Piercing Power] from eating the Estocs.

In order for the reader to understand this, I'll tell you about my [Consumption Absorption Ability].

I learn abilities from more than eating living beings. However, for items above a certain level, the power of the learned abilities depends on the quality of the item. For the abilities to enter my mind I must use the item a certain amount. If I haven't, then eating the item would be pointless, and in that way I have to keep wondering, "I wonder if this will go well now". I've had to practice that perception quite a bit. Even if I make a mistake, I'll recover. I tell myself to be brave enough to keep trying.

Reaching the top feels really good.

While I was doing that by myself, GobuSpyte, GobuAstrid, and GobuHeather came by. Apparently they thought it odd that they couldn't see me around, so they went looking for me. They came at a great time. I'd taken the potions and other stuff that you could hang on the belt and put in the Field Pack. I crammed as much of the rest as I could into the backpack. I asked them to carry the rest that I couldn't fit inside my bags.

GobuSpyte graduated from his shell-wrapped cudgel to a rustic battle-axe, and swapped his wooden shield with pieces of carapace sewn on with an iron round shield. Since there was a hole in the middle of the round shield, we had to make an impromptu fix by attaching a piece of carapace there.

After that, I had him equip the breast plate instead of the shell reinforced leather armor I made for him two days ago. Together with the shell-helmet I made for him two days ago, GobuSpyte's defense was the highest by far out of us four.

He totally looked like heavy infantry.

He kept the cudgel he had used till today strapped over his back as a spare.

I gave the girls the two crossbows and a hundred arrows. In addition, I gave them the obsidian knives I had been using till now in addition to one of the Bowie knives to use as insurance, but this was the limit when considering the weight of all the stuff they could carry.

Nevertheless, out of the four of us, the ones with the highest ranged offensive power the girls and, with their deft handling of the two knives, their offensive potential shouldn't be made light of. They gave off the impression that they were hunters or archers from how they looked.

And at the end, myself. My two long swords were replaced by an Estoc, with a small shield reinforced by shells similar to the one GobuSpyte has. This shield was made so it could be fixed to the right arm, and still allow me to move my wrist without problems.

To protect my left hand, I equipped the gauntlets wrought from solid iron. The gauntlets had less defensive power than the Round Shield; however if the aim was just to deflect attacks, then it should be enough.

This way, I had reasonable defense whilst not hurting my ease of movement too much. With the effects of the ability [Job-Light Swordsman] added, I feel like it's risen by another level again.

And also, since today the Goblins collected a previously unthinkable amount of tribute for us, we returned the rest to them. We couldn't eat it all; it was far too much.

-DAY 20

The morning was spent on combat practice. Compared to when we started, the expressions of the goblins had changed. Yeah, because goblins mature quickly, startling changes can be seen even in a short time if training is done in earnest. This might be because, if they don't quickly adapt to their surroundings, they'll simply die.

In the afternoon, we hunted. We caught ten Night Vipers, fourteen Armored Tanukis, and five Kobolds. This is probably because our equipment had rapidly become a lot better. Or perhaps I should say, the deadly combination of the girls' powerful and accurate shots with the crossbow together with the rapid firing of the short bow was brutal. Because GobuSpyte and I acted as their shield, it became even more brutal. To bring the battle to an end, GobuSpyte used his high defense and his battle axe to decapitate the survivors.

Together with my abundant abilities that I used to continuously vary my attack pattern and the direction of the battle, opponents like Kobolds didn't pose the slightest threat for us. Perhaps with how things stood right now, even if the Kobolds turned up with twice our numbers we probably wouldn't have any problems.

What I truly wanted to eat was Orcs though. This was in order to strengthen the ability I got from the Orc earlier; after that one time, we hadn't seen even one Orc. I quickly wanted to find more Orcs; however, today I went back ahead of time to the cave in order to read books.

Well, having the ability [Job-Magician] is nice and all, and my magic power being increased by my subspecies was also nice, but because I had no idea what magic was, I couldn't actually use any magic. That's why, in this way I was reading "Introduction to Magic – Basic Sorcery" until morning came up the day after.

You might say I had a surprisingly difficult time getting a grasp of it, which made it a rough trial. Or rather, I feel there's a limit to how much I can understand just from reading books. And what's more, I started from the second volume of three!

If only I could see someone use magic one time!

-DAY 21

The morning practice hasn't even been going on for a week, yet Goblins who've turned out to be somewhat useful are popping up here and there.

As I thought, because the realm of nature is a severe living environment, or perhaps because we belong to a precocious species, the Goblins who underwent the soldier training program had their strength grow considerably. The training program is something that I had composed from useful parts I gleaned from my company's servers before I died.

Some of the underlings even recently managed to kill Night Vipers. Even the worst of them at least manages to kill Horned Rabbits by themselves.

Those Goblins, who couldn't even get their own food a few days ago, can all manage by themselves now. As their teacher, I feel mightily proud about this fact.

The Goblin Elder and his cronies found the results genuinely astonishing, and they treated me with stares filled with affection and awe. I think the special treatment is kinda handy, but it's still slightly depressing. Well, it doesn't do me any real harm, so I guess I can just ignore it.

When the sun arrived at its summit, I personally began training with the Goblins; I spent the rest of the day doing this. This way, I can get a grasp on each individual's abilities. I can also catch any weaknesses or bad habits they've developed and teach them the proper way. Also, being able to single out the best individuals is useful, and above all it also serves to strengthen me. In this strict world, there are no disadvantages to having a well-trained body. That's why I thought thirty eight battles in a row was good practice.

After the session, I once again came to the realization that GobuSpyte, GobuAstrid, and GobuHeather are, amongst their generation, head and shoulders above the competition.

Regarding the results for GobuSpyte from the recent training, it seems he's learned how to limit the power of his attacks to avoid causing any accidents. Creatures of this world seem to change in direct relation to how much they contribute when in a party. By killing enemies, they get experience that raises their levels and leads to the creation of surprisingly robust bodies by the mysterious laws of this world.

At the present time, if I don't use my abilities, he is a tough opponent. If all the Goblins except me, GobuAstrid, and GobuHeather were lined up to challenge him in order, they probably wouldn't be able to get even one win.

Gobukichi, however, would not leave without incurring some damage.

The two girls are slow when compared to me, however, the other Goblins aren't even a match for their speed. Since their Hobgoblins, their strength is also better than the other Goblins; they have also grown their nails to be pointed and sharp, and I taught them how to use the nails skillfully. This is in order for them to be able to fight well, even without a weapon. They've got speed, and if I didn't have my abilities they'd make a formidable foe.

However, you might say they're still cute little things. Speaking as an opponent, when both are unarmed, Gobukichi is still more dangerous in close quarters fighting.

When the practice sparring was over, we broke the group up in order to go hunting.

We didn't find any new types of prey; however, our stomachs were filled.

Meat is very tasty, isn't it?

After returning to the cave, I read before I went to sleep.

-DAY 22

Today I crushed a Goblin who was growing a little impudent.

Of course I didn't kill him, but he was recently becoming too overconfident in his new abilities. He'll die one day if I don't correct him like this. For that reason, I steeled my heart and punished him.

I think this is a reasonable thing to do in an environment where carelessness means death.

Well, even if this Goblin does develop some rebellious sentiment against me, I can just beat him up again, no problem.

Today the four of us went out hunting again as usual.

We searched for and found some Kobolds that I could gain new abilities from.

There are six of them. It's the largest group we've come across up to now, but we can crush them without a problem as we are now. Although they have numbers on their side, we have superior individual abilities and equipment.

We decided to give it a try. The girls, armed with a crossbow and short bow, aimed at a Kobold and prepared to pull the trigger, but then it came out from behind the rocks.

A Kobold of small stature wearing on its head what looks like a triple horned horse skull by the three horns growing on its forehead, and a twisted and crooked wooden staff in its hand, it approached the group while muttering something.

From its appearance, I think it's a Kobold Mage.

I knew since I heard from GobuJii that Goblins and Orcs and other lower-class monsters like Kobolds are generally unable to use magic to interfere with the laws of the world, with the exception of subspecies.

But exceptions do exist where ordinary Kobolds and Goblins can wield magic.

These are called Kobold Mages and Goblin Mages. It is a highly prized and rare ability though not as rare as a subspecies.

Without a sense for handling magic, I couldn't wield magic at my leisure yet, and this time I'm facing a Kobold Mage accompanied by six Kobold followers. This could be difficult.

Even so, this is a good chance.

If the Mage used magic, perhaps I might be able to learn to wield it by observing it. If not, I can just take the ability anyway.

Thinking that, we tailed the Kobold party and that somewhat troublesome mission was a success; we were able to see magic being used for the first time. The victim of the Kobold Mage's magic was a Green Slime.

Even with the ability "Invulnerable to physical damage", the Slime's bodily fluids evaporated before the roaring blaze of fire, leaving behind a green stony core. It was quite the flashy scene.

But having seen that, I gained a general understanding of magic. If I go back to the cave and practice a bit, I think I could do it without a problem.

With that matter settled, we went on the offensive. The enemies were promptly annihilated.

The Kobold Mage instantly died from a poisoned arrow to the back of the head by GobuAstrid and GobuHeather. The rest were silenced by me and GobuSpyte. No matter how strong, they're no problem if we crush them before they can show that strength.

We stripped the ordinary Kobolds of equipment and put it in our backpacks, then I secured the Kobold Mage's staff. Moreover, we took eight "Water Spirit Stones"—strange stones that give off water when tightly gripped—, six "Thunder Spirit Stones"—strange stones that discharge a strong electric shock, and ten "Fire Spirit Stones" like the ones I ate before, all separated into three small sacks.

I took the Kobold Mage and the six hearts for myself, the rest are eaten by the others, two for each Goblin.

Incidentally, I also ate the Green Slime core.

Ability Learned: 【Physical Damage Reduction】

Ability Learned: 【Internal Mana Control】

Ability Learned: 【Magician's Knowledge】

Ability Learned: 【Intimidating Roar】

It seems the Green Slime did not have "Invulnerability to Physical Damage" but the reduced version "Physical Damage Reduction", but that's remarkable enough as it is.

This way we now know how to deal with green slimes the next time we should encounter one: Simply burn them down with the Ability [Pyrokinesis].

Then, I ate the Kobold Mage's staff and the three kinds of "spirit stones". Doing this to gain abilities has become sort of a habit of mine.

Ability Learned: 【Hydro Hand】

Ability Learned: 【Aqua Tolerance】

Ability Learned: 【Electromaster】

Ability Learned: 【Lightning Tolerance】

Ability Learned: 【Flame Tolerance】

Ability Learned: 【Mana Operation】

Yes, these are good abilities. By practicing these I can finally use magic.

After that, we encountered Armored Tanuki and Night Vipers on the way back. 

Ability Learned: 【Endure】

Ability Learned: 【Evil Eye Tolerance】

With this, it looks like I have learned all the abilities I can from Night Vipers and Armored Tanuki. Well, it was good food nonetheless.

After that, night fell and I went practicing by myself.

It was hard at first but after one hour I figured out the trick; although it needed a bit of activation time I was able to do it without problem.

Incidentally a Green Slime decided to attack me under the cover of night, and seeing it as a good practice target, I decided to take care of it. I crafted a lance with magic and shot it at the Green Slime, killing it in one hit with fearsome power.

I took the core that was rolling around and began to eat it.

Ability Learned: 【Bodily Fluids Manipulation】

And with that I gained this ability.

Yeah, I'm now able to turn my sweat into acid whose movements I can mentally control, which is useful and makes me satisfied.

However, the fact that my equipment didn't corrode when I used it is another strange mystery of this world.


	6. Survival of the Fittest

Survival of the Fittest

AN: At the end of Day 26, you guys will be in for a good, little surprise. Also, guys, I've noticed that not many of you guys have reviewed. So I've decided, from now on, starting after this chapter, I'll let some of you guys help me with this. Meaning, I be having your consideration take part in this fanfic. I'll feature the reviews that I think will make this fanfic more interesting along with those who typed/thought of them. I'd love and appreciate more reviews, follows, and favorites. Also, HAPPY NEW YEARS EVERYONE!

DAY 23

It was raining today. Because of that, we could not go outside and instead held a festival inside the cave.

I don't know when it started, but the Goblins in my generation had begun to operate as a group with me as the chief, and this so-called festival is actually a round robin event that will decide the ranking within the group.

The results are exactly what you would expect.

At the top there was me, then GobuSpyte, followed by GobuAstrid and GobuHeather.

After the event, with the ranking settled, we had a lecture. Because the ones on top have the responsibility of teaching, the ones below had to strictly follow the orders of those above them. Then we promptly decided on a few more rules.

With this, orders will be relayed more efficiently. While I'm at it, it seems like I'll be using military ranks.

At the top, there was me as a Colonel, GobuSpyte was a Lieutenant Colonel, GobuAstrid and GobuHeather majors; after that, there was a huge gap to Sergeant to match the difference in power.

Well, it was appropriate due to our still small numbers.

-DAY 24

Today after morning practice, the four of us Hobgoblins went hunting again.

And the first thing we encountered was a seventy centimeter (about 27.5 in.) long black spider with yellow lines. I decided to give it the temporary name "Demon Spider".

Because it'd made a flammable nest, which I assumed was flammable, I burnt the Demon Spider to a crisp with my [Pyrokinesis] ability.

I had some trouble preventing a forest fire since the thread burned quite easily and the fire had spread over quite a few trees.

If it had turned into a conflagration, we'd also have died.

Ability [Spider Thread Creation] learned.

And thus, I learned how to secrete spider thread from my fingers—no wait.

Since I'm a Goblin, it's Goblin thread? Anyway, at my will it was gushing forth from my fingers.

Seeing thread come out from my fingertips vigorously with a "buryuryuryuryuryu"-like sound, it felt quite surreal; however, it's unquestionably an extremely useful ability.

Unfortunately, as I am now, I can't make delicate work. Skillfully manipulating the thread like a spider is impossible for right now. The best I can do is to simply immobilize the target.

If I make the slightest complex movement, I'll wind up tangled in the web myself, unable to move. Compared to sewing, spinning webs is in a league of its own.

Thus, in order to freely be able to control the thread, I decided to search for more Demon Spiders.

After a little while, I discovered some, and this time I tried killing the spiders with electricity before eating them. I soon had three corpses.

Ability [Thread Wielding Arts] learned.

With this, I became able to delicately manipulate thread. The thread was very durable, so I thought about making clothes and such with it. Also, the Demon Spiders carapace seemed sturdy, so I decided to make use of it when I construct armor next time.

After that, while walking, we saw our first Orcs in a long time.

The place where we found them was close to where we found the Orc from last time.

Since this place was quite far away from the cave and we hadn't really explored the area, I was berating myself over how we should assess the situation and deal with it.

The Orcs we found were in a group of six and different from the previous single orc who carried a pickaxe. These Orcs carried quite heavy and splendid looking weapons like halberds, staves, hunting knives and long swords while wearing either breastplates or full plates.

Moreover, I think that the halberd-wielding Orc, who had the best physique of the six, was the group commander—the Orc Leader.

As such, we decided not to attack them. However, gathering intelligence is another matter so we followed the Orcs down the mountain for an hour until we discovered the location of the Orcs' base, a mine.

I saw dozens of Orcs with pickaxes, and the sound of their efforts could be heard even from where we were watching them, which was considerably a safe distance away.

For the present, I was satisfied with climbing down the mountain and back to our cave. If we try attacking this many opponents, we'll die.

True victory would be if we four could sneakily escape with our knowledge and remain undiscovered.

At least that's what I thought, but then I spotted three Orcs patrolling around the mountain.

Even if they raised the alarm, since the other Orcs were far away, it would take a considerable amount of time before they could bring reinforcements; so we decided to quickly attack them.

Hiding in the thicket, we waited for them to reach our shooting range.

GobuAstrid and GobuHeather killed one Orc each with their crossbows. The last one was stunned by my lightning, after which I calmly walked up to him and slit his throat.

To transport the corpses, GobuSpyte and I each carried one Orc while Gobumi and Gobue helped each other with the last Orc until we reached a place I deemed as safe where we leisurely took our time to eat.

Ability [Stench] learned.

I know, I know, plainly an ability I don't need. [Stench], seriously? Well, Orcs certainly have a distinctive smell. But since their flesh is really tasty, it's something we'll have to live with.

Moreover, if by any chance I were to discover a use for the ability, I'll consider it a profit.

-DAY 25

It was currently the end of our morning sparring practice, and some individuals seemed to be having a hard time. So far, no one (who has attended my practice) has died during a hunt; although some did get hurt. This being the case, I felt relieved knowing that my training hasn't been squandered.

Afterwards, we went hunting. While hunting the likes of Night Vipers, Armored Tanukis and Demon Spiders, we found a new prey that undoubtedly possesses better individual abilities than the spiders.

They were a pack of wolves with black fur that almost looked as if it was made of metal. Without making it complicated, I decided to temporarily call them "Black Wolves" and, for the time being, I decided to quietly observe them.

It seems that the pack consists of sixteen Black Wolves who currently seem to be engrossed in eating. Luckily, we are standing leeward, so they have yet to notice us; however, were that to change, we could end up like the Kobolds the Black Wolves are currently eating.

They were four times as many as us; but above all, the Black Wolf Leader seemed incredibly dangerous. He was considerably larger than the other Black Wolves.

If we went at them from the front, we'd probably suffer a great deal of damage. Because they had greater numbers, the advantage was heavily stacked in their favor. But even though that's true, an advantage can be turned by using a surprise attack.

GobuAStrid let loose an arrow from her crossbow which pierced the body of the wolf leader who was still in a daze from eating the Kobold meat. At the same time, an arrow from GobuHeather went through the neck of a nearby wolf.

The Black Wolf Leader wouldn't instantly die from an ordinary arrow through the body; but because the arrowhead had been painted with my venom, the wolf staggered unsteadily after several seconds and then collapsed while convulsing and foaming at the mouth.

Even so, the Black Wolf Leader didn't immediately die. It was barely hanging on with its life slowly slipping away. By the way, without resistance against the fast-acting poison, the ordinary wolf that got shot through the neck quickly died.

With this, we were able to break the wolves' quick teamwork. Considerable time was needed to decide who was going to replace the top member in a pack. You could see the panic in the wolves' figures when it suddenly happened.

Making full use of the mess we created, GobuSpyte and I moved closer and attacked.

Even though it was the first time since I was reincarnated that I fought a wolf-type monster, I was sure that I could easily deal with it so long as it didn't have any special abilities. When I approached one, the wolf bared its sharp fangs at me so it could strike me with its most powerful move "Bite"; in response, I thrust my Estoc dripping with venom towards its mouth. With the force of the charge from both sides combined, I easily tore through flesh, drilled through bone, and destroyed the wolf's brain.

I caught a glimpse of a wolf trying to escape the confusion, so I charged a high pressure water blade with electricity and slashed at its feet.

The battle axe-wielding GobuSpyte couldn't hack through the stiff-furred Black Wolves, but his attack forcibly broke its spine and ribs and, with his momentum, breaking the neck of the Black Wolf that collided head on with his shield.

In the midst of all that, Gobumi-chan and Gobue-chan's sniping further reduced the enemy numbers.

After a while, the pack of Black Wolves had lost the teamwork that was their greatest weapon and the effectiveness of their bites had been nullified. Not even one wolf was spared.

Once finished, the three of us, me and the girls, went to work on cutting up the wolves' bodies. The wolves' fur, to be used later, had to be kept in the most pristine of condition, both for function and aesthetics. Incidentally, GobuSpyte had to be excluded since he was incredibly clumsy and therefore couldn't be entrusted with such a delicate task.

Because of this, I placed GobuSpyte on lookout duty. Since I had my 【Sense Presence】 ability, having Gobukichi-kun on lookout was unnecessary. However, in this world where one is constantly engaged in a violent struggle, the experience of such a task is vital; especially for one's own survival.

GobuAstrid and GobuHeather cut up a lot without any trouble; they seem to have gained the ability [Dismantle], so their fingers were more skillful in Dismantling the corpses.

After that, we gathered the fur and ate the meat, four to each Goblin.

Ability [Pack Leadership] learned.  
Ability [Pack Hunting Proficiency] learned.  
Ability [Steel Hide] learned.

As I expected, the Black Wolf Leader had superior abilities befitting its status.

[Pack Leadership] and [Pack Hunting Proficiency] were a huge bonus for group operations.

[Pack Leadership] allows me to quickly identify who can contribute the most aside as well as being able to give them instructions. It enhances the ability of the group as a whole.

[Pack Hunting Proficiency] all allies will move efficiently to obey my commands as if I were repeating them to each member individually.

[Steel Hide] increasse the defense of fur and leather-based armor in addition to one's own skin and hair. It definitely doesn't hurt to have the ability to increase defense at will. I'm certain it will come in handy in the future.

I hunted some Demon Spiders and Green Slimes before going back. After having dinner, I went to bed.

-DAY 26

Usually when combat practice ends, the Goblins end up scattering for the day's hunt.

However, today, everyone underwent an arms inspection.

The lowest and most numerous private weapons that Goblins use are Horned Rabbit's horns, [Shell Reinforced Shields], and their regular clothes. At the inspection area, we only counted them. After thirty minutes had passed, everyone left the cave together. Our plan this time was to raise everyone's level and to increase my number of skills. With that in mind, I decided to launch a surprise attack on the Orc's mining base. We didn't have a particular grudge against the Orcs; we simply did what we needed to in order to survive.

Therefore we attack. Attack and eat after.

Now, the results. Our camp only had light injuries and we didn't have a single casualty. For the Orcs in the mining base, they all died. This included the Orc Leader and his warriors. The main reason for this was the training we'd been undergoing, which focused not only on offense but also on defense. The results was also influenced by how decisive, stern, and relentless I had been during sparring, making a big difference in the Goblins' defensive power. But the outcome would primarily be that the majority of the Orc Leader's fighting potential was impeded by my Goblin thread and then pricked to death by my Goblins.

After the battle had ended, we pulverized the medicinal herbs [Healing Grass] we brought, soaked cloth wraps in the fluid, took those cloth wraps and applied them to the wounds. It is a very simple medical care, but surprisingly effective.

For patients who bore life threatening wounds, I proceeded to use my blessed healing skills with my [Job - Druid] to cure their wounds.

I thought my magical practice could be useful, so I tried various ways until it worked.

Even if one of their arms had almost been chopped off and left dangling, it would only take some time with my healing skills before adhesion became possible. You'd have an uncomfortable feeling for a while; but compared to losing an arm, this is nothing. Moving the arm also seems possible after rehabilitation. I have to say that this healing skill is amazing.

I am truly thankful for having this ability.

For the woman who once was a [Druid], I truly harbor feelings of gratitude. I didn't have this ability, our numbers would have dwindled considerably. Some time ago, I wouldn't have blinked an eye no matter how many of them died; but after training with these guys for a while, I've started to see them as my subordinates and disciples.

Thus if they need help, I've developed the desire to aid them. While I think of those girls who died, I offer them a prayer.

While I was administering medical treatments, GobuSpyte together with the other uninjured Goblins ran around gathering Orcs and their equipment. When I finished the treatment I immediately changed to the next stage of the plan.

It seems like the Orc Leader's Halberd was reinforced with magic materials, so it had an incredibly sharp edge. It was just the right size so I decided to make it my new weapon. Swords are nice, but I'm used to using longer weapons. There were lots of other weapons as well, and with this everyone received better weapons. The lowest ranking Goblins went from using horned rabbit horns to using short swords, which is an extremely significant difference.

And above all, besides the large quantities of Fire Spirit Stones and Lightning Spirit Stones, there were also Wind Spirit Stones and Earth Spirit Stones that I still haven't eaten yet. Within the mining base, other materials had still yet to be discovered.

After we hurriedly looted the Orcs of all their possessions, we all gathered to eat the delicious meat. To be more prudent, we decided that the food distribution would be decided by the member's rank where higher rank meant more food. Orc Leaders and Orc Mages etc. main battle potential units were of course destined to end up in my belly.

Ability [Rallying Cry] learned.  
Ability [Improved Digestion] learned.  
Ability [Halberd Proficiency] learned.

While also indulging in the Orc barbecue, I alone ate Fire, Lightning, and Water Spirit Stones together with the newly acquired Wind and Earth Spirit Stones as snacks.

Ability [Aero Master] learned.  
Ability [Storm Tolerance] learned.  
Ability [Earth Control] learned.  
Ability [Earth Tolerance] learned.

But more importantly, the Orc barbecue party was really satisfying.

Orc flesh has this peculiar taste and texture where it feels like extra special high quality pork; and what's more, there are large quantities of it. No matter how much we ate, there never seemed to be an end to it.

Even so, I missed my usual food and alcohol from my previous life. I especially missed the alcohol. I miss it so much that I nearly couldn't bear it. When I think back on it, I haven't drunk a drop since I reincarnated. On the way home after buying alcohol, I was stabbed by my little "stalker". I began to wonder what happened to that alcohol.

And just like that, I longed even more for it. After that, we went back to the cave to sleep before it became dark.

…An hour in to my sleep, I thought I heard something move into my room. (AN: Here's the little surprise , this the little addition I'm going to have that the Manga and LN don't.)

I decided to just disregard it, thinking that it was just a slight breeze. However, I felt something warm snuggle against my back. At that moment, I decided to abruptly turn over to only face GobuAstrid with a content sleeping expression on her face. Hmph, it make me chuckle a bit.

Deciding that I kinda wanted to talk to her, I whispered, "Hey GobuAstrid, you comfy there?" with a smile on my face.

"Not yet," she mumbled.

Then, she slowly moved her arm to lift mine. I was puzzled at the behavior. With my arm in the air, she slowly wrapped her arm around me and pulled me into an embrace. Her face was now in my chest with her snuggling to her content. It kinda tickled, but it felt really nice.

"Now, I'm comfy," she mumbled.

Now pleased with herself, I decided to wrap my free arm around her as well. It was kinda nice to snuggle with someone and have their embrace with you.

"That's better," she mumbled.

"Okay, cuddlebunny," I chuckled. Wide and content smile grew on both of our faces now with eyes closed. We slowly drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.

Today was an excellent day to live.


	7. Hiccup's Ordeal

Hiccup's Ordeal

AN: Hey guys, sorry that I've been inactive for quite some time. I'm still a high school student so I have to also focus on my studies. Also, sorry that I moved the fanfic over to the general HTTYD page, I just thought that it wasn't exactly a crossover but more like an AU since Re:Monster's cast aren't exactly present. It's more like a combining of the characters. So, I thought my fanfic would best suit the AU role instead of a crossover one. Well anyways, I'm glad I finally have some time. Please enjoy this new chapter.

DAY 27

The next day, we were training in a vacant lot outside the cave as usual when an unfamiliar group of goblins arrived.

Although they looked unkempt, I saw three fourths of the group carrying a number of chipped short swords and battle axes that looked well-used hanging at their waists. They also wore blood-stained leather armor on top of dirty chainmail shirts. There were even three Hobgoblins amongst them.

Will a war for survival break out for a second day in a row? We got a little excited, but it seems to be the return of our parents' group who were away with work.

Goblin Elder, who was watching us practice, stopped my attack stance and separated us.

Oh I see, so they weren't enemies. I realized that I must welcome them properly.

"I better go greet them then".

Although hidden in the shadows of the Goblins who, obviously being underlings, carried large backpacks (in all likelihood the fruits of their latest raid) were five young women who had their hands and feet bound with their mouths gagged to prevent them from becoming violent while being carried by several similar subordinate Goblins.

Judging from their clothes, four of them were ordinary people, and the last one wearing leather armor was probably an adventurer.

Only the girl who looked like an adventurer had slight visible traces of having been hit in the face. Their clothes didn't seem to be in disorder so they probably hadn't been raped yet. It's only a matter of time though. We could no longer see the shape of the Goblin Elder, who was covering his nether regions which were revoltingly swelling with a worn-out loin cloth, and the Hobgoblin who was talking to the Goblin elder.

Anybody could tell what they were talking about, even if they didn't want to.

I don't have the slightest hesitations about killing and eating others; however, forcing others is not a thing that I like. Of course, I understand the instinct of living creatures to leave offspring; but to decide if it's right or wrong, such things are a very different matter.

I've also had sex with female co-workers to relieve the stress when going to dangerous places for work, but there was mutual consent in those situations.

Being forced like this makes me sick. The cute ones should be loved… right?

For weak Goblins that oppose humans, numbers are necessary. After a strenuous military campaign, the ranks will need to be filled back up if the numbers have been reduced considerably.

Still, like I care about that! It's not like I'm going to change the way I think in the short amount of time since I've been reincarnated.

With things this way, I decided to help them.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed the Hobgoblin leader looked like my dad Stoick the Vast. I thought, "Wow, this world is full of surprises"

I don't know why, but the Goblin elder looked at me with a weird face which I ignored.

My dad made a face as if saying "Kid, what are you talking about!?", but nevertheless I repeated the request.

"Well excuse me Dad, but I just think it's not right. Please hand them over to me."

It is important to discuss everything first. No matter how much you dislike the opposition, you should start by discussing your problems. Any hostility should be put aside if possible. I tried to persuade him patiently but he wasn't willing to listen. That wasn't all, he started to become irritated at me who kept obstinately asking. I guess that's "my dad" for ya.

I continued to attempt to persuade him, but soon realized that it was a waste of time and stopped before the other Goblins in his group got irritated.

He pulled out his short sword and waved it at my throat in ridicule. As I'm about to pull out my sword, Gobukichi-kun does the same behind me before holding his weapon at the same level while waiting for my signal.

Should I kill him then? I parried the Hobgoblin Leader's short sword and at the same time pull out the estoc at my waist.

At that moment, the atmosphere clearly changed.

The Goblins from both sides took aggressive stances while fully displaying their weapons; and if either I or the Hobgoblin Leader made the slightest move, the status quo would be disrupted. Of course, everyone would be trying to kill the enemies in front of them. The reason no one moved was not only because we held the executive decision-making power, but also because instinct told us that if a fight started here, each side would take lots of damage regardless of who won.

They numbered twenty eight while we numbered thirty nine. In pure numbers, we had the advantage; however in real fighting experience and experience of fighting together, they were far above us.

Honestly, I had no idea of which side would win if fighting broke out, and to start the fight under such conditions would inevitably turn into huge damage for each side which is why I didn't move.

Incidentally, the group of older Goblins were watching us. However, they didn't do anything and seemed to prefer watching what would happen as neutral observers.

For a short while, we glared at each other; but since I thought such actions were more trouble than they're worth, I prepared myself to trigger the fight by adapting a forward-bent pose.

With my estoc-holding hand filled with power, I pointed the tip of the sword straight towards my dad.

My leg was bending in order to prepare myself for the dash where I would pierce him when—

just at that moment- a voice suddenly reverberated. Everyone instinctively stopped moving, and turned towards the source of the voice.

The owner of the voice was a Hobgoblin, that eerily looked like Fishlegs, with three Goblins at his side.

He was the only Hobgoblin that could use magic besides me. He said something like, "Don't involve us in a personal war" and "The leader is the strongest and he decides the policy of the group." Because he gave the impression of having higher intelligence than the other individuals, he seemed to have a calm judgment even in this situation.

"Aren't you, who can use magic, stronger than this guy?" After hearing this, my dad backed away unwillingly.

It was thus concluded that a fight to determine who reigns at the top of the "Goblin Community" was to be held.

The rules were very simple: use of weapons were forbidden; and while killing was permitted, the fight ends when one party faints or gives up. It was that kind of barbaric rule.

Goblin Elder would be acting as referee for the fight. It was an appropriate position for the sagely Goblin Elder who held a neutral opinion.

Nevertheless, I was surprised to find that the Goblins on their side began to make bets in the middle of preparation. So they had a gambling mentality, huh? Furthermore, I was told that copper and silver coins were being exchanged.

Well, this kind of thing is certainly well-suited as entertainment.

Meanwhile, the Goblins on our side were sitting with impeccable manners. They were staying still to watch the fight that was about to take place. Yep, this is surreal.

At any rate, the five women who were being offered up as the prize were worried they had done something wrong. It was because we were pointlessly scaring them. Well, this is all for their sakes. Just bear with it for now.

Then, after the preparations were finished, the fight to decide the leader began. I didn't want to fight "my dad" but if it meant saving those girls then it'll be worth it.

On one side was a long-serving soldier full of scars who had drawn many companions to himself with his achievements.

On the other side was me, who had thoroughly trained those of my generation, and had ranked up and become a Hobgoblin subspecies.

Most of the bets the Goblins apparently placed were on him; but that doesn't matter to me, so I immediately attacked.

Well, I'll only say the result. Of course, I won.

I stopped his movement like a frog glared at by a snake with [Evil Eye].

The opponent cowered at the sound of my roar when I used [Intimidating Roar].

I confused him by using both of my abilities at the same time before I wrapped his body with my thread. While doing this, I was simultaneously closing the distance; and without missing a beat, I hung him from a tree like a sandbag when I got close enough.

GobuJii wanted to know what the thread was, but it was definitely a part of my body. It's kind of like saliva. Since it comes from my body, it can't be considered a weapon. Therefore, there aren't any problems. Since it isn't a weapon, I didn't violate the rules even if I use it. We'll look to decide. Yeah, it's safe.

After turning him into a makeshift sandbag with my web, it was time for violence. I tried going easy so as to not kill him for the time being, but he belongs to the Hobgoblin race, who are tougher than Goblins. Because he was impertinently shouting things like "I'm the leader! How dare you, you impostor! Do you have no shame!?" that shows he has no comprehension on his own situation, so I got a bit serious.

Well, it can't be helped. It was like an act of God. That was what I decided to call it.

First of all, to prevent him from saying something boring like "I give up" I stuffed a gag made out of thread in his mouth.

After that, I beat him up to silence him for about three minutes; but he still had spirit, so I did that again for ten more minutes until he was just a bloody bag of soft moans. I didn't kill him though. By the way, even though I slight roughed him up for ten minutes incessantly I still have plenty of body strength left.

This was the result of having a regular training. I soon stopped because the enemy had fainted. Judging from touch, it seemed his bones were just barely at the point of breaking and his internal organs hadn't ruptured. If I left him like this, he surely wouldn't die.

Even then, I tried making "Healing Grass", out of several grasses and herbs, and several kinds of insects mixed in with fresh water just in case. I forcibly gave it to him to drink and the homemade healing potion-ish thing had an effect, even if it was just a little. I then cut the thread and let him roll to sleep.

Not having any resilience whatsoever, I proved the feasibility of healing little cuts for the time being. Given that, his insides should be more or less better by tomorrow. I really don't want to stay awake any longer.

Once I finished the job, I became aware that the others had drawn away from me, while basking in the feeling of having achieved something.

While the Goblins on our side seemed to take it better than the others, there was still a hint of terror in their eyes. Afterwards, they would casually try to run away whenever I approached. It hurt my feelings a little…

"Eh? What is it, GobuAstrid?" They were completely unable to understand my thread, and that tragic scene that befell me before was because I was making a scary face? But isn't this my normal face?

Ah, I'm the only one that thinks that, huh.

"But it really isn't that big a deal, right, GobuSpyte? Ah... don't be like that."

"Even GobuHeather...? Okay okay, if it's like that, then fine. I have no allies here."

After letting out a sigh, I asked if there were any more challengers. By making my position clear now, I hoped to reduce the possibility of any trouble coming up later on.

In the end, because there were no more challengers, I had officially become the Leader of this "Goblin Community".

I then declared that it is strictly forbidden to touch the women and that there would be a more detailed set of rules given in the future before dismissing everyone.

Afterwards, I removed the gags and untied the hemp ropes around the hands and feet of the five women and had them enter the deepest part of the cave where those pitiful women from before were kept, made to reproduce and die in despair. This was done because it would be troublesome if they escaped.

Well, the women escaping is fine, but five unarmed women running around in this dangerous forest can only lead to them being killed or eaten. And since I have gone through the trouble to save them, I won't allow this to happen.

I decided to bring them to the inner cave and have a chat as my ability [Human Language] fulfilled the minimum requirements needed to speak with them.

It wasn't long before we arrived. I took the torch I made beforehand and lit it to provide a light-source.

Goblins have [Night Vision] but it would be difficult for humans to see well in the darkness.

After these preparations were finished, we began our conversation. I promised them that I will not take their lives and that I will ensure food and other necessities are provided to them. I also told them that if they were assaulted, I would judge the individual and punish him/her and that it would take some time but I would return them to their home and such things.

I think probably five or six hours passed. Either because of my insistent persuasion, or some other reason that I don't know, the girls began to speak.

The first one who regained their composure was the adventurer girl, with short flaming red hair, who possessed a vigorous beauty, and a cuteness that reminded me of small animals.

From the conversation with the Redhead girl, I concluded that the four women were hawkers in a Peddler group, the «Star God's Pavilion».

As for the Redhead, she was a member of the adventurer association The Sword of the Weak and had been hired on as a guard for the «Star God's Pavilion». The Sword of the Weak seemed to consist of young adventurers. As I thought, such an occupation existed. It is a type of guild whose main policy is to nurture the strength of their individuals via mutual support, a typical clan, and the Redhead, as a holder of the [Job - Warrior] and a greenhorn, wanted to obtain experience by serving as a member with them.

And why did such things happen? They briefly explained it to me . The party of girls went through the highway towards the defense city « Trient ».

→ They had been ambushed by a Goblin raid with poisoned arrows (in other words, our parent generation).

→ The girls' leader and his fellow members who had command were all killed by the first attack.

→ There were a number of experienced escort adventurers, but none were novice adventurers. But the Goblins (parent generation) were skilled at methodical group work (particularly the three Hobgoblins) so they couldn't compete.

→ There was also the dangerous presence of the Hobgoblin Mage whose attacks are difficult to defend against.

→ When opposing magic-wielding mages, it is doubtful whether there would be anyone who held higher combat ability than those individuals who have the [Job - Magician]. Although the number of times magic can be used is limited, magic items like scrolls or wands that enable even children to use magic are needed. However, there was no way a wandering adventurer can buy such a high-class item.

→ As a result, they were subjugated without resistance, their weapons and goods plundered, the men were killed, the girls who survived were carried off, and we arrived at the present situation.

I shouldn't be the one to say it, but it was a difficult story to hear. Not to mention, everyone was annihilated besides these girls. Well, there's nothing to say but to call it bad luck.

After telling me that much, they couldn't bear it anymore and burst into tears.

As expected, they could not even put their feelings about living together with Goblins who killed their friends in order, so I thought that any more than this would only be painful. I told them where I left the torch that I prepared along with some blankets, then I went back. Now I should just do them a favor and let them cry their feelings out.

Well then, I suppose I should now start talking about [Jobs]. For non-human beings like demi-humans, beastmen, and other monsters, there is a law in this world called [Rank up (evolution)]. As you could probably guess from my phrasing, the law of [[[Rank up]] (evolution)] does not apply to humans.

But in exchange for that, there are a large number of [Jobs] they can take.

Humans are fundamentally less powerful than monsters.

So, to strengthen themselves they carry many [Blessings/Improvements] in their bodies gained from the acquisition of a large number of [[[Jobs]]]—each with their own requirements, and the requirements become more strict as the jobs become stronger—becoming a powerful enemy in the process.

Moreover, anyone could easily raise their [[[Job]]] level by spending time, and if one has the prerequisites, it is possible to [[[Rank up]] (promotion)] to a higher position.

Also, as for those who are called [Great Men] and [Heroes], the improvements from their [Job] are great. And don't laugh, because it looks like people with the [[[Job - Hero]]] really exist.

To put it simply, a monster's [[[Rank Up]] (Evolution)] is influenced by its characteristics, and can dramatically increase its potential all at once, whereas a human's [[[Rank Up]] (Promotion)] grows more slowly than monsters, but anyone is able to gain power if they spend the time on it.

It's like this: either raise several levels in one leap; or slowly, but surely, raise one level at a time. It's either that or a difference in quality and quantity. By the way, this was confirmed by GobuJii.

-  
DAY 28

Maybe it was the weeping, getting tired, and going to sleep, but the girls seemed to have more or less recovered. Perhaps her recovery was simply fast, but when I went to check on the girls in the morning, the Redhead cheerfully greeted me and told me her name was Rubellia Walline.

The other four still seemed afraid of me, but that couldn't be helped. Time was required to have them come to an understanding. Among the stolen goods that came with them there was a cooking kit. Using that I made a pseudo-stew for them.

Well, having my first civilized meal in a while really made me happy. It might be self-praise, but the pseudo-stew really tasted good.

Eating is absolutely essential for healing and as delicious as the food is, that much of the soul is healed, it's that kind of cure. When eating, I saw that the girls calmed down and began to lower their guard. I began to hear about them in more detail. If there is something I can do for them, I'll need to learn what that could be, was what I was thinking while listening to them talk.

By the way, I forgot to mention, except for the Redhead, the other four were holders of [[[Job]] - Peddler].

In the soft and comfortable atmosphere, I got to know that one of them was an [Appraiser], as well as a [Blacksmith], easily able to sharpen the blades of short swords and long swords. Her name was Emery Furado. If I could arrange better facilities for her, she promised that she would forge equipment for me.

The two girls who looked similar turned out to be sisters. Their names were Felicia (older sister) and Alma (younger sister) Timiano, both holding the jobs of [Tailor] and [Cook], so I arranged to have them be in charge of cooking and making clothes in the future. As expected, I cannot tell them to make clothes like Goblins who were their enemies, so I just told them to make clothes that they are used to making themselves.

As far as making food for everyone, I told them to just put up with it for now.

One of the women that looked coldly intelligent was an [Alchemist] named Spinel Fean, so I asked her to make potions. I should have someone supervise them in case food is served with poison, if that happens, it'd be scary.

The Redhead, Rubellia, is capable of doing farm work, but speaking bluntly that's useless in this situation, so from here on out it was decided that she would participate in the training to get stronger. The women had to be able to protect themselves, particularly in situations like the one they were in.

After eating, we would have proceeded with training if we followed our usual schedule, however today was different. We were gathering all our belongings in preparation to move out of the cave. If you're wondering why, after the older generation returned, the cave was too small for everyone.

Until now, most Goblins that were newly born died quickly, that changed for my generation. That's why we were moving to the Orcs' former mining base. If we relocated there we would have no more problems with space, and most importantly, since it's a mine it had been reinforced to prevent collapses, so it was really sturdy. Also, I wanted to collect as many spirit stones as possible.

I sent out GobuSpyte to lead a group of ten Goblins to act as an advance party. The rest of them completed their packing and left an hour later. There were a lot of workers and backpacks, so we were able to move immediately.

Escorting the human women were GobuAstrid, GobuHeather and those few I could trust for this matter. The walk took over an hour but it seems we've finally reached our destination.

It seems like Orcs had once again came to settle the mine, however, GobuSpyte's group had already killed them. I received their hearts, and the rest of the Orcs were split between the members of the advance party as a reward. After that we set out to bring order into the interior of the mining grounds.

Since we didn't have many decorations, the storing places of weapons and food were easily decided, and we put the sleeping area in order. Of course, we didn't forget about preparing toilets either.

When we finished with the general stuff, I left the rest in the care of GobuJii and started to prepare the living area of the human women. Luckily I had my [Earth Control] ability so the work was easy. I quickly finished the Blacksmith's smithy, the Sisters' kitchen, the Alchemist's workshop, and lastly their sleeping location. For their bedroom, I made them a simple bed. By taking a wooden frame and using my thread I made a mattress. It's a somewhat bare structure, but fairly comfortable to sleep in.

Excavated spirit stones were used for drinking water and light sources so these weren't any problems. With a little creative thinking we also managed to get the smithy to produce simple things. Thus, we spent the rest of the day cleaning up and doing routine tasks. The food was prepared by the Sisters. As expected of those who possess the [Cook] profession, it tasted really good. After dinner, everyone crawled to their beds to sleep. It was an eventful couple of days after all.


	8. The Consequences of Lust

**The Consequences of Lust**

 **AN: Just so you know, I wanted to keep Stoick in the plot to keep him as a type of advising father figure. I think that's the most distinct change in this chapter from the actual plot in the LN and manga.**

-DAY 29

Finally we started the training for the older Goblins. To start with, as an example we had them observe simple things like standing in line and combat practice. The older Goblins were surprised by that display. I was actually more stumped that they were surprised about the other Goblins taking orders from me.

After that we began the real thing. First of all, we started from the basics, like forming a line quickly and endurance running. Those who fell behind were gifted with push-ups as punishment amidst jeers, as if coming from some demon sergeant.

There was one really stubborn idiot that I had to hit, together with a punch to his face I broke his arm. After he screamed and spun around for a while, I straightened his arm out and we returned to the training.

The training continued in that way for a few hours, until I finished up by sparing with everyone. I got a strong sense of deja vu from the scene that resulted. At the end, no one could move.

While GobuSpyte and his buddies were off watching from a distance, they were saying things like: "Ah! I knew this would happen." "I thought it would too." "Training's harsh when he gets like that!" As expected, the endurance of these Goblins were higher right now than that of GobuSpyte and friends, so the recovery time was fast and after a time that I chose at my own discretion the training resumed. We didn't go hunting today, instead I spent the time ranking the older Goblins, deciding rules and stuff like that.

-DAY 30

It rained heavily today. Of course, I was having reservations about going outside.

Because of that, it was the right time to hold another festival to determine the ranking within the group. The method to determine the rough ranking quickly was somewhat convenient. Because there is a large difference in the basic abilities between Hobgoblins and Goblins, we will have two separate contests to decide the ranking.

The results, well, that is if you can call it properly settled, are thus: The top was me as always, the runner-up was GobuSpyte, next after him was my dad, and after him were GobuAstrid and GobuHeather. The three Hobgoblins after her were generally at the same level of competency.

The Hobgoblin Mage HobuFishlegs might have come after me if magic use is permitted, but that is not the case this time.

As the festival ended, we split into three groups: GobuSpyte's group continued with practice, GobuHeather's group who carried picks continued mining, and the third group was studying things, like the rules that I had decided, the ranks, the Continental Alphabet, and so on, with GobuAstrid as the teacher.

Meanwhile, I chatted about various things with HobuFishlegs. I was interested in what kinds of magic he could use. Based on what I was told, the three kinds of magic HobuFishlegs could use were [Fire], [Water], and [Void]. I pretended that I understood what she talking about, but in reality I had only read information from an incomplete source and in reality had no idea what she was talking about. After that, having exchanged all kinds of information, we each moved on to our own tasks. HobuFishlegs went to GobuAstrid's place to study, while I went to talk to the human girls.

When I went to check up on the situation, having fire and water guaranteed by the fire and water spirit stones, Emery's forge was in the middle of producing tools out of the spirit stones and iron ore that we got as the result of mining. She could do that without any problems thanks to several sets of tools that were among the things we looted.

While I asked her if she had any complaints, I noticed that the smithy had been repaired recently so it was easy to use. Because she was somewhat less frightened of me, I left satisfied.

Next, I went to the station where the two human sisters were. Since the cooking utensils were looted goods, the Sisters, Felicia and Alma, using them did not incite any friction with the Goblins. With that, things progressed smoothly. Though, after looking around the station, I realized that with just two people, preparing everyone's food would be an overwhelming task, and so I decided to sit down and help them.

The Sisters were still a bit afraid of me, and so I thought that if I was proactive and spoke to them more, they would begin to warm up to me. Once in a while I caught them smiling, which was great. The smile of a beautiful woman is always a good thing. While we were at it, I taught them all the recipes that I know.

After that I went to the Alchemist, Spinel, who spent all day making potions.

The equipment was already assembled here like at the other places, so that wasn't a problem.

I inspected her completed goods with my [Appraisal], but so far it didn't seem like she had made anything poisonous. I was interested in the creating process, so I stayed to observe.

She gave off an unfeeling impression, making me think of a disdainful Ice Queen. She didn't talk at all while she was working, yet she was still a feast for my eyes so I had no issue with waiting. After she finished we had a short conversation then I went to my own workshop.

While there I tried using the Black Wolf leather to make defensive equipment. I stitched the leather with my thread, and using my practiced ability the crafting process progressed quickly. Nevertheless, it was late at night when I was done.

Before I went to sleep, I did some practice swings with my halberd in order to become used to how it felt. Because I had been fervently moving around I'd become tired, so I slept like a log.

-DAY 31

The heavy rain from yesterday continued, so we spent the day inside the cave.

The day went as usual. After the morning practice was over, I equipped the Black Wolf Armor that I made yesterday and the halberd, which I still haven't tried using in a real battle, before facing a fully equipped GobuSpyte in a somewhat serious practice battle.

My new armor consisted of flexible black leather pants and a long black leather coat. On my left hand I was equipped with a solid wrought-iron gauntlet, and on my right hand I used the carapace reinforced, and in lots of different ways improved, round shield. I didn't have anything covering my head, and on my feet I had a pair of sturdy looking boots that the older Goblins brought back from the adventurers.

Since my skin was also black, this equipment made me almost invisible during the night.

GobuSpyte's equipment was replaced with various items we got during the Orc raid.

His main weapon was a [Crescent Axe] that burned from having a [Flame Blade] made by embedding a battle-axe that I discovered, with Fire Spirit Stones. His buckler was a black iron tower shield made from a carapace-reinforced round shield, which had high defensive strength because of how heavy it was, that was strengthened through magic.

His armor was based on what the Orc Leader was using. Using my thread to bind it together, it was now reinforced by pieces of carapace and black wolf leather, which raised the defensive power and mobility.

Looking almost like a moving fortress, his armor coupled with his body that was amplified by his vanguard specialization, resulted in combat ability that was not something to joke about.

Truly, GobuSpyte had become strong.

I can sense it during his normal training as well, but facing him fully armed truly makes me understand how much he has improved.

Basically, I, who had strengthened myself by having a variety of abilities, confusing my opponents through the use of various techniques, and winning using methods of striking my opponents from behind, was bad in a situation like this where I had to fight head-to-head without an ability against a genuinely strong opponent like GobuSpyte.

He's still an opponent I can win against with my abilities, but having my halberd with the force of my whole body behind it being almost perfectly blocked by his tower shield is, as expected, still kind of shocking. Each and every one of his blows is also extremely heavy, but above all his dexterous handling of his axe is worthy of admiration.

It seems like he knew from experience how to swing an axe sharper, faster, and heavier.

Well, the weapons he has used from the first hunt till now have always been similar, from cudgel → axe → axe which was probably the reason.

In our Goblin village the one who handles axes the best is without question Gobukichi-kun.

Also, his burning [Crescent Axe] was more trouble than I thought it would be. I've got the ability [Fire Resistance], so I didn't get injured by his [Crescent Axe]'s [Flame Blades]. However, resistance is resistance and hot things are hot. Because of the blazing flame my vision was impaired and when the handle of my halberd got searingly hot from the long exposure to his flame, I excused myself.

Continuing like this, we spent quite a long time staging mock battles.

I spent some time manufacturing clothes, picked up the mined "Spirit Stones", ate the food the Sisters prepared then went to sleep.

And then when everyone had gone to sleep, that event happened.

Eight bodies were moving towards the place where the five human women were sleeping, and my 【Sense Presence】 ability caught that movement.

When I looked at what woke me up, I saw the retreating figures of Goblins who were exchanging words in whispers between one another, speaking enthusiastically about assaulting the women.

The moment I saw that, I gripped the halberd that I kept near my bedside in one-hand and chased after them. I made sure to do this stealthily in order to get firm proof that they intended to assault the women's sleeping place. Conclusive proof that they couldn't refute was extremely important.

After they've done it they can't excuse themselves by saying that I made a mistake.

Once I was sure, I swung my halberd at the closest Goblin and moved down toward his neck.

His head flew, charmed by gravity it fell to the ground and begun to tumble, which I then trampled over and crushed flat in one breath. After squashing the head, my boots became soiled, but at that moment, I didn't care.

I made sure to cauterize the Goblin 's severed throat as I decapitated him; it helped save myself from the annoyance of cleaning up afterwards.

The smell of burning flesh sparked my battle instincts.

I dare say I was laughing while I was doing this.

The sudden cold-blooded murder instantly caused the atmosphere to turn serious.

Everyone's gaze that was locked on to me were had a dumbfounded and confused state, ignoring their situation, I began to apprehend the rest of the Goblins using my thread. Looking at the captured Goblins, I realized they were all subordinates of the former Hobgoblin Leader.

Then, I determined first of all that the former Hobgoblin Leader's second –in-command who attacked Redhead rolling in front of my eyes with a bulging crotch was first to bring it up.

I tried hearing his story before deciding whether I'd allow him his life, it seems like he was unable to suppress his sexual desires. When I asked why he didn't just let it out on a female of his own kind, it seems having known a human woman's body once, a female Goblin's body can no longer satisfy him. The pleasure was different by an order of magnitude.

"Don't you understand that!?", was his argument. I hit him once then stopped the discussion halfway because the girls who were assaulted had part of their clothes torn. I've heard enough of what I wanted to hear.

I handed over some fine cardigans crafted from the threads I made yesterday to the shivering girls who were hugging their own bodies.

Because leaving them with torn clothes could make them a temptation for the other Goblins.

As I finished handing out the clothes, while rubbing her back I called out to and attempted to calm Rubellia who was clinging to me and crying. I kept patiently calling out to her, who seems to be slowly calming down, although she was still bawling. Once GobuSpyte, GobuAstrid, and GobuHeather hurried over, I gave them the order to put the Goblins I bound with thread in the practice hall near the entrance. Also to wake everyone who is still asleep.

I left the corpse and splattered head on the floor.

After making the order, Rubellia seemed to have calmed down once I gave her some time; although, she still wouldn't let go of my clothes. Somehow, she would not open her hands regardless of my intention, which was confusing. She was still faintly trembling, so it was unreasonable to try to get an answer. Although I actually thought that I had better not be burdened with having to look after her mental health from now on; but for now it can't be helped so I took her with me. The other four girls, although trembling, either because they hated to be separated from me, who rescued them as promised, or because they thought they wanted to see things with their own eyes, or possibly some other reason, followed along at a distance.

Having made sure no one was asleep and that they had gathered in the hall next to the entrance, I pointed at the arrested goblins with the tip of my halberd. I explained that "What the likes of these guys did was this and that~~, what I said was etc. etc.~~", made them understand, then I began the torture.

For starters, I cut off a bit of the tips of their fingers with a Bowie knife. Cauterizing the wound with a flame so they didn't bleed to death and using a healing spell to restore both their vitality and body strength. I proceeded bit by bit, taking the utmost care that they wouldn't die.

Their screams were noisy so I stuffed a gag of thread in their mouths. That was also to prevent them from biting their tongues. Well, you wouldn't die quickly even if you bit your tongue to begin with so doing it was probably pointless.

Yep, I was putting everyone off.

Physically and mentally, they were drawing away.

Nevertheless, doing this to prove to the girls that the promise I made was not empty should be easily understandable. In the first place, there was clearly no need to say that there were a number of followers who do not abide by my, the current leader's, words but instead followed the orders of the previous one.

Leaving behind things like this would certainly cause problems later on, so for the sake of the future I do this to nip potential trouble in the bud.

If in the end it's "because I did not do this I was stabbed in the back and died", that would be silly.

The six Goblin s were dealt with using various unique, colorful methods, and in the end, only one was left.

The last Goblin — the former Hobgoblin Leader's second-in-command begged for his life with his eyes, but this fool could not understand a thing, I could not see any value in his existence.

Within the group he held a position that was commensurate with his strength, but as I thought, it can't be helped that fools will always be fools.

I don't get those guys that could not even abide by the bare minimum number of rules that I established, so simple that even idiots could understand.

The fact that things ended up this way was because of this guy's intentions, you reap what you sow.

Still, even I wouldn't kill his followers just because I didn't like them. Not unless I have a pretext for killing my opponent, like this guy. From the start, cases where it is fine if there were two powers within an organization are exceedingly rare.

Because of that, without hesitation, again and again I burned his arm, tormented him with water, trapped him under a heavy stone while whipping him, keeping him barely alive as I continuously tortured him.

-DAY 32

The time when my dad's second-in-command finally died was the moment sunlight reached the entrance of the cave.

Clearly, I went kinda nuts and overdid it a bit.

Because his vitality was stronger than a Goblin's, he simply didn't die easily. I did, however, continue to heal him as well which contributed to his prolonged torture.

When I returned to my senses, I looked at my surroundings. Everyone was terrified.

Pleasantly smiling I laughed. "Have I made myself clear enough?", I asked the gathered Goblins who all nodded their heads with astonishing vigor. Feeling satisfied with that answer, I disbanded the meeting and ordered everyone to sleep till noon. If everyone managed to sleep it would be nice, considering they'd been forced to watch my torture all morning they must be tired, but somehow I doubted anyone would fall asleep today.

So, almost everyone except those who had fainted didn't go to sleep like me.

Thus I ordered everyone to sleep. I also told them that today's training was cancelled.

After creating a water ball with my abilities to wash away the blood from my hands and face, I had noticed that Rubellia, who had watched me work more than anyone, was shivering uncontrollably with vacant eyes.

In order to snap her back to her senses, I created another water ball and threw it at her.

Then I picked her up and carried her like a child to their bedroom. I disregarded it when she began to shiver even more. When I safely dropped her off, I returned to the spacious area again, and because the other four still couldn't move themselves I repeated this four times.

After confirming that the other Goblins had returned to the bedroom, I also went to sleep.

I woke up sometime in the middle of the afternoon.

As a replacement for lunch I ate the hearts and stomachs of the Goblins I killed, where after I buried the rest of their bodies with my [Earth Control] ability.

Around this time the other Goblins woke up, and because I had said we would skip practice today, I and the three other Goblins went hunting.

I left the Goblin Elders, together with five of the Goblin minions, to protect the human girls. Earlier, I asked, "You know what'll happen if they are assaulted, right?". It was when they nodded vigorously that I decided the girls were probably safest with them.

Well, the girls were within a walled off area I had made with my thread, and with the short-sword wielding Redhead there, at the very least, they should be able to buy some time if there was trouble.

In addition, when we subjugated the Orcs at the mining camp, we found an emergency horn. I gave them to the girls in case an incident were to occur. If they blow it, we should be able to quickly return and save them.

With that taken care of, the four of us left with peace of mind. The first thing we encountered on our hunt was a Three-Horned Horse . At a glance it was covered with solid looking scales, and it was twice as large as a normal horse. It was such a big horse that with our current bodies we had to look up to see it. It was a creature that had evolved far above that of a Hobgoblin. And there were two of them. They were probably a couple; perhaps one was pregnant.

However, we don't know that for certain, and in order for us to survive we need food, so we performed our usual surprise attack.

Our first attack went by the book. GobuAstrid and GobuHeather shot poisoned arrows with their crossbows. One of GobuAstrid's arrow went right through one of the horses eyes, while GobuHeather's arrow was slightly off and bounced off the other horse's stiff scales.

"Those scales are tough! Even though the power of the crossbows could easily pierce through a standard plate mail, it easily repelled it!" I reflexively screamed out loud.

Moreover, I had placed poison on the arrowheads, a wonderfully strong poison, and yet the Three-Horned Horse didn't instantly die, rather it began to act aggressively because of the intense pain. I had never seen such fierce vitality before!

While we were busy being surprised, the horse that wasn't hit noticed us. It turned in our direction, pointing its three horns at us, and entrusting itself to its rage, it charged in an attempt to impale us. Well, with my thread and thunder combo I somehow managed to stop it, my thread was so thinly spread that the thought that it would just brush off the thread, annoyed, made my innards go cold.

Just how much horsepower did that thing have?

There was no question that its physical strength couldn't even be compared to that of a Hobgoblin.

While GobuAStrid and GobuHeather's sniping kept the riotous horse pinned, GobuSpyte and I recklessly attacked it with my halberd and his burning axe. At first our attacks were simply repelled however after repeatedly attacking we found a way to chip off the scales. After that, the rest was quick.

My halberd and his [Crescent Axe] made the scales fly; once our blades reached the thick flesh below it we were successful at severing the head from its body.

The other one was weakened by my poison, and because we had already figured out how to kill it, this was an easier kill.

It was quite heavy work, however, we didn't receive any major injuries; it was truly a significant hunt. We carried all the raw materials back, however since it was our first time hunting this prey, we decided to eat all of it ourselves.

Since it's big, all the Goblins, except GobuSpyte, were set to diligently remove the scales in order to get the meat. GobuSpyte was once again stationed to watch the surroundings. We needed the right Goblin in the right place. And thus I ate six horns, two hearts and a fair share of the rest of the meat which was generously split four ways. After that I also ate the shells, since I thought I might get something from doing that.

Ability [Armored Scale Charge] learned.

Ability [Scaled Horse's Neigh] learned.

Ability [Rapid Recovery] learned.

Ability [Enhanced Leg Strength] learned.

Ability [Improved Charging Power] learned.

Ability [Triple Stab] learned.

After eating I had obtained six abilities. This was the proof that the Three-Horned Horse truly was strong. Because usually as a Hobgoblin I had to eat four bodies to gain an ability.

Also, this was the first time since I reincarnated that I obtained a physical attacking skill, which was big. I thought [Triple Stab] would stab three times in a row, when I tested invoking the skill against a tree holding my estoc, the result was that three holes were made in the tree. Yes, I actually only stabbed with my estoc once. Yet I made three holes. In addition to that they were arranged in straight line from top to bottom. After spending such a long time in this world the fact that I didn't get how it worked now didn't surprise me. However, I came to wonder if this from upper to lower attack ignored physical defense. I tried to think about it. However, the answer to this question will have to wait for another time.

After that we walked around for a while, hunting the usual things, bringing them back and finally going to bed. After I fell asleep, Rubellia snuck into my bed, so we slept together.

I'll say it to make it clear, but we didn't do anything erotic. However, I reaffirmed that a person's warmth was still a good thing.


	9. AN: Apology

Apology

Hey guys, it's me, Darkflare. Sorry about not updating in, like, forever. Got caught up doing a whole lot of school work and other stuff. I just wanna tell you guys that I'm going to be making a re-write of Different Dimension Rebirth. I felt like everything was just way to boring. Don't worry it's still gonna have the same of concept, I just want to restructure everything so that it will be way more interesting. I thought that the whole thing was to similar to the story, so I'll be changing things up a bit. I'll probably have it out by tomorrow in the early afternoon (July 4th). Anyways, like Different Dimension Rebirth, I hope you guys can Follow, Favorite, and especially Review it. Hope to hear from you soon! 


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